Overview
- At a memorial in Culiacán on Friday, family members, journalists and rights groups marked nine years since Javier Valdez’s murder and renewed demands for justice.
- Participants urged Mexico’s government to secure the extradition of Dámaso López Serrano, the accused intellectual author, who has been detained in the United States since 2024 after surrendering to U.S. authorities on drug charges.
- Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has requested López Serrano’s extradition, but the handover to face trial in Mexico has not occurred.
- Valdez’s widow, Griselda Triana, said the case remains unpunished until López Serrano is tried in Mexico and noted he could spend five to six more years in U.S. prison, limiting near‑term prospects for his return.
- Organizers warned that reporting in Sinaloa has grown more dangerous due to fighting between Sinaloa cartel factions known as Los Chapitos and La Mayiza, and they called for stronger protections for journalists.