 Depending on the source, He was the 81st or 92nd journalist killed between 2000 and 2012 and 14 to 15 others had also disappeared in the same period.According to the Foreign Policy Research Institute, violence by the drug cartels was expected to increase in the period before the election and would be the major issue of the Mexican general election.Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, said, "The number of murders in the ranks of the Mexican media has reached such alarming proportions that it seriously undermines freedom of expression and democracy in the country.