Ingrid Escamilla murder: Mexican paper sparks outrage over pictures of mutilated body
Ingrid Escamilla is the latest high-profile case of violence against women in Mexico, which have sparked widespread protests.
Thursday 13 February 2020 05:58, UK
The brutal murder of a young woman in Mexico has sparked worldwide outrage after pictures of her mutilated body appeared on the front page of a newspaper.
Ingrid Escamilla was found dead by officers at an apartment just north of the centre of Mexico City over the weekend, with her body having been skinned and left without organs.
Gruesome pictures were later published by the national newspaper Pasala, which has been met with widespread condemnation by women's rights groups.
With media in the country having identified the suspect arrested by police as Ms Escamilla's partner, Pasala's story featured the headline: "It was cupid's fault."
Several campaigns have been launched on social media in response to the publication of the pictures, including the hashtags #IngridEscamilla and #JusticeForIngrid, which have been shared on Twitter.
Users have posted pictures of Ms Escamilla, 25, from her Instagram page, showing her smiling and posing.
One said: "Out of respect to you and your family, this is the only way I want to remember you."
UK charity Staying Put, which works to protect victims of domestic abuse, tweeted: "The killing of Ingrid Escamilia is shocking in its perverted brutality, but every deliberate murder of a woman should shock us and provoke a response.
"Too often men's fatal violence against women is accepted as normal. #IngridEscamilla #JusticeForIngrid."
The National Women's Institute of Mexico has also condemned the publication of the photographs and the murder.
"Mexico is facing a tremendous challenge with respect to violence against women," it said.
"We urge the media to work with rigour and professionalism."
The murder came amid heightened protests against violence towards women in Mexico, with demonstrators setting government buildings on fire and spraying monuments with graffiti.
Marches have taken place in a number of Mexican cities, including the capital, with recent years having seen an alarming spike in the rate of women being killed.
Official data shows an average of 10 women were killed a day in Mexico in 2018 - the highest rate in three decades
For women who suffered violence, more than 40% of them were victims of their partners.
Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo pledged on Tuesday that prosecutors will be seeking the maximum punishment for the murder of Ms Escamilla.
Police have not commented on reports that the suspect was her partner, after a video appeared on social media of officers talking to a detained man who was covered in blood.
Milenio Television, a Mexican cable news channel, reported that Ms Escamilla had filed a complaint against her partner several months ago - but later withdrew it.
Pasala has not responded to a request for comment about its coverage.