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1 | EXTRAJUDICIAL VIOLENCE AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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4 | In These Times tracked violence against environmental defenders from 2014 to 2024 in 10 hotspot countries. Using the same methodology as a State Department watchdog group, investigative reporter Alessandra Bergamin collected data from public sources to conservatively identify 573 killings of environmental activists. Of that number, close to half involved the state. Below are incidents of killings, harassment and violence in seven Latin American countries: Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. Read the full investigative report here: https://inthesetimes.com/article/brandon-lee-philippines-violence-environmental-activists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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6 | Date | Country | City/State/Province | Victim/s or victims' organization | Incident | Who is involved | Brief details | Source | ||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Ongoing since 2018 | Brazil | Pará | Maria Marcia Elpídia de Melo | Intimidation, harassment, threat | Rancher/large-scale farmer | "Maria Marcia Elpídia de Melo has faced a number of threats against her life and her son’s life since 2018, due to her role as a woman human rights defender and as the leader of the Rural Producers’ association. In 2018, after her son was violently beaten as a threatening message to Maria Marcia Elpídia de Melo, she had to arrange for him to leave. The defender receives daily death threats, and her domestic animals such as dogs and chickens have been killed to intimidate her." (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/maria-marcia-elpidia-de-melo https://www.terra.com.br/noticias/brasil/sob-a-sombra-da-violencia-na-amazonia,f8196ad68c43e1c00769d2e8edaa1742nl7pxgbc.html https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/09/17/rainforest-mafias/how-violence-and-impunity-fuel-deforestation-brazils-amazon | ||||||||||||||||||||
8 | Ongoing | Brazil | Bahia | Quilombola people | Threats, intimidation, violence | Navy (military) | The Quilombola community has experienced harassment, intimidation, and violence at the hands of the Brazilian navy who have occupied their traditional territory for the construction of the dam on the Macacos River and the installation of the Naval Village of Arat. (Cultural Survival) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/rose-meire-dos-santos-silva https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/cementing-dispossession-terror-and-violence-brazilian-navy-against-quilombola-peoples | ||||||||||||||||||||
9 | November 2022 | Brazil | Roraima | Ana Yanomami Xexana | Killing | Unknown | Indigenous woman Ana Yanomami Xexana was shot and killed by two men on bicycles who fired shots at a group of Indigenous peoples. Another injured man was hospitalized. (Agência Cenarium) | https://aamazonia.com.br/yanomami-leader-blames-illegal-mining-for-murder-of-Indigenous-woman-in-roraima/?lang=en | ||||||||||||||||||||
10 | October 2022 | Brazil | Roraima | Cleomar Xirixana | Killing | Unknown | “Five Xirixana Indigenous people from the Napolepi community, in the Yanomami Indigenous Land, were attacked by a group of miners called 'wolves'. Leader Cleomar Xirixana was hit in the forehead and chest, dying at the scene. One teenager was injured and the others threw themselves into the river to save their lives.” (Info Amazonia) | https://infoamazonia.org/2023/07/26/relatorio-de-violencia-aponta-aumento-de-54-de-assassinatos-de-pessoas-indigenas-durante-o-governo-bolsonaro/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
11 | September 2022 | Brazil | Pará | Clebson Barra Portilho | Killing | Unknown, possibly private company | “Clebson Barra Portilho, a driver, was shot and killed when gunmen from inside a car shot at several vehicles driving Indigenous activists. Three people, Santos Portilho, Clelson Portilho and Antônio Moraes Vieira were injured. Turiwara leaders accuse security guards from the Brasil Bio Fuels industry – the largest palm oil producer in Latin America – as perpetrators of the crimes. The company, which disputes an area overlapping the Turé-Mariquita territory, denies involvement in the case.” (Amigos da Terra – Amazônia Brasileira) | https://amazonia.org.br/2022/09/indigenas-turiwara-sao-alvos-de-dois-ataques-no-para/ https://lab.org.uk/brazil-palm-oil-producers-launch-an-avalanche-of-litigation/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
12 | August 2022 | Brazil | Mato Grosso do Sul | Vitorino Sanches | Killing | Possibly, military police | Vitorino Sanches, an Indigenous Guarani Kaiowá, suffered an ambush and was the target of an assassination attempt at the entrance to the Amambai Indigenous Land (IT) in Mato Grosso do Sul. When he was entering the village Vitorino was hit by two shots fired by two men on a motorbike. At least 10 bullet marks were found in the Indigenous victim's car. The violence takes place in the midst of the retaking of ancestral lands now occupied by farms. In recent months, three Guarani Kaiowá were murdered in the state. According to Aty Guasu, the deaths were caused by gunmen and military police. The violence occurs amid the retaking of ancestral lands, now occupied by farms.” (Brasil de Fato) | https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2022/08/02/indigena-guarani-kaiowa-e-baleado-em-emboscada-no-ms-somos-alvos-monitorados | ||||||||||||||||||||
13 | April 2022 | Brazil | Maranhão | Edvaldo Pereira Rocha | Killing | Unknown | Edvaldo Pereira Rocha was shot and killed by unknown men who fled the scene on motorbike. Rocha, a leader of the Jacarezinho community, who had been fighting for years for title to his quilombo, had received threats from landowners. He was waiting for a ride at a store when he was six times. (O Globo) | https://g1.globo.com/ma/maranhao/noticia/2023/08/22/vazio-que-nunca-acaba-diz-esposa-de-lider-quilombola-assassinado-em-conflito-por-terra-no-maranhao.ghtml | ||||||||||||||||||||
14 | January 2022 | Brazil | Pernambuco | José Lopes Rodrigues | Killing | Unknown, private company | “José Francisco Lopes Rodrigues was shot and killed by a sniper hiding in his residence. Quiqui was hospitalized for five days before dying on January 8. Although the shooter has not been identified and the police investigation does not name any suspects, community leaders, family members and neighbors of Quiqui claim that his murder, as well as the murder of the other four quilombolas, were directly related to a years-long conflict between their communities and local farmers identified as land grabbers.” (InfoAmazonia) | https://infoamazonia.org/en/2022/02/10/in-two-years-five-community-leaders-murdered-over-land-dispute-involving-authorities-in-north-brazil/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
15 | October 2021 | Brazil | Rondônia | Rafael Gasparini Tedesco | Killing | Police | “Gedeon and Rafael Gasparini Tedesco were accused of the death of police officers in the region in October 2020, and were executed without any proof or trial. In the early hours of the morning when the incident occurred, around five vehicles and a helicopter attacked the house where the two peasants were staying. The bodies were later taken to a location where police identified an alleged exchange of gunfire. According to the complaints, a siege began where the police beat residents, carried out illegal interrogations and made numerous threats.” (A Nova Democracia) | https://anovademocracia.com.br/lcp-viva-os-companheiros-gedeon-e-rafael/ https://g1.globo.com/ro/rondonia/noticia/2021/11/02/policia-diz-que-chefe-de-quadrilha-morto-em-confronto-tinha-4-armas-balaclava-e-ate-pontaria-a-laser-em-ro.ghtml | ||||||||||||||||||||
16 | October 2021 | Brazil | Rondônia | Gedeon | Killing | Police | “Gedeon and Rafael Gasparini Tedesco were accused of the death of police officers in the region in October 2020, and were executed without any proof or trial. In the early hours of the morning when the incident occurred, around five vehicles and a helicopter attacked the house where the two peasants were staying. The bodies were later taken to a location where police identified an alleged exchange of gunfire. According to the complaints, a siege began where the police beat residents, carried out illegal interrogations and made numerous threats.” (A Nova Democracia) | https://anovademocracia.com.br/lcp-viva-os-companheiros-gedeon-e-rafael/ https://g1.globo.com/ro/rondonia/noticia/2021/11/02/policia-diz-que-chefe-de-quadrilha-morto-em-confronto-tinha-4-armas-balaclava-e-ate-pontaria-a-laser-em-ro.ghtml | ||||||||||||||||||||
17 | September 2021 | Brazil | Bahia | Alex Barros Santos da Silva | Killing | Unknown | Tupinambá Indigenous man, Alex Barros Santos da Silva, was shot and killed. Police are investigating the killing and whether it is related to agrarian conflicts in the region. (Comissão Pastoral da Terra Bahia) | https://cptba.org.br/policia-investiga-assassinato-de-indigena-no-sul-da-bahia/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
18 | September 2021 | Brazil | Rondônia | Marcelo Chaves Ferreira | Killing | Military police | Ângelo Venicius Henrique Mozer and another identified only as "Marcelo" was shot and killed in a shootout involving military police. Three military police officers were arrested for the murders. (Rondoniaovivo) | https://www.rondoniaovivo.com/noticia/policia/2021/09/24/conflito-agrario-policiais-sao-detidos-apos-tiroteio-com-mortes-de-invasores-de-terra.html https://rondoniaovivo.com/noticia/policia/2021/09/24/mortes-no-campo-familia-diz-que-homem-morto-era-sitiante-e-nao-invasor-de-terra.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
19 | September 2021 | Brazil | Rondônia | Ângelo Venicius Henrique Mozer | Killing | Military police | Ângelo Venicius Henrique Mozer and another identified only as "Marcelo" was shot and killed in a shootout involving military police. Three military police officers were arrested for the murders. (Rondoniaovivo) | https://www.rondoniaovivo.com/noticia/policia/2021/09/24/conflito-agrario-policiais-sao-detidos-apos-tiroteio-com-mortes-de-invasores-de-terra.html https://rondoniaovivo.com/noticia/policia/2021/09/24/mortes-no-campo-familia-diz-que-homem-morto-era-sitiante-e-nao-invasor-de-terra.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
20 | August 2021 | Brazil | Rondônia | Kevin Fernando Holanda de Souza | Killing | Police | Three members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) — Amarildo Aparecido Rodrigues, Amaral José Stoco Rodrigues and Kevin Fernando Holanda de Souza — were killed during a police action in the rural area of Porto Velho. The LCP is a social movement that fights for agrarian rights and revolution in Rondônia. (Repórter Brasil) | https://reporterbrasil.org.br/2021/08/em-novo-cerco-policia-mata-3-integrantes-da-liga-dos-camponeses-pobres-em-rondonia/ https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/amaral-jos%C3%A9-stoco-rodrigues-league-of-the-poor-peasants-liga-dos-camponeses-pobres-lpc/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
21 | August 2021 | Brazil | Rondônia | Amaral José Stoco Rodrigues | Killing | Police | Three members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) — Amarildo Aparecido Rodrigues, Amaral José Stoco Rodrigues and Kevin Fernando Holanda de Souza — were killed during a police action in the rural area of Porto Velho. The LCP is a social movement that fights for agrarian rights and revolution in Rondônia. (Repórter Brasil) | https://reporterbrasil.org.br/2021/08/em-novo-cerco-policia-mata-3-integrantes-da-liga-dos-camponeses-pobres-em-rondonia/ https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/amaral-jos%C3%A9-stoco-rodrigues-league-of-the-poor-peasants-liga-dos-camponeses-pobres-lpc/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
22 | August 2021 | Brazil | Rondônia | Amarildo Aparecido Rodrigues | Killing | Police | Three members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) — Amarildo Aparecido Rodrigues, Amaral José Stoco Rodrigues and Kevin Fernando Holanda de Souza — were killed during a police action in the rural area of Porto Velho. The LCP is a social movement that fights for agrarian rights and revolution in Rondônia. (Repórter Brasil) | https://reporterbrasil.org.br/2021/08/em-novo-cerco-policia-mata-3-integrantes-da-liga-dos-camponeses-pobres-em-rondonia/ https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/amaral-jos%C3%A9-stoco-rodrigues-league-of-the-poor-peasants-liga-dos-camponeses-pobres-lpc/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
23 | February 2021 | Brazil | Pará | Isaac Tembé | Killing | Military | “Isac Tembé left his home on the Alto Rio Guama Indigenous Territory, in the northeast of the Amazonian state of Pará, to go hunting nearby with a group of friends. He never returned. The young Indigenous leader was murdered; shot point-blank in the chest by a member of Brazil’s military police, on his own land.” (Amazon Watch) | https://amazonwatch.org/news/2021/0219-justice-for-isac-tembe https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/decade-defiance/#mexico-decades-death-and-destruction | ||||||||||||||||||||
24 | December 2019 | Brazil | Anapu | Márcio Rodrigues dos Reis | Killing | Logger/land grabber with potential links to police | “Land rights defender Márcio Rodrigues dos Reis was killed on a road close to Anapu. He was the main defence witness in a criminalisation case against human rights defender Padre Amaro. Marcio is the 15th rural worker killed in the area since 2015. Shortly after, on 9 December 2019, state councillor Paulo Anacleto was also found dead. The councillor was actively engaged in the investigations into the killing of Márcio Rodrigues dos Reis.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/two-killings-anapu-elevate-concerns-about-lack-access-justice-land-rights-defenders-para https://reporterbrasil.org.br/covamedida/historia/anapu-pa/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
25 | December 2019 | Brazil | Anapu | Paulo Anacleto | Killing | Unknown | "Paulo Anacleto was murdered after organizing a protest calling for justice on the day of Márcio Rodrigues dos Reis’ burial." (Repórter Brasil) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/two-killings-anapu-elevate-concerns-about-lack-access-justice-land-rights-defenders-para https://reporterbrasil.org.br/covamedida/historia/anapu-pa/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
26 | November 2019 | Brazil | Pará | Alessandra Korap Munduruku | Threats, intimidation | Unknown | “The home of Indigenous human rights defender Alessandra Korap, was raided by unknown individuals who took personal documents, phones, and digital files. Local human rights defenders believe this was an act of intimidation in response to the visibility Alessandra Korap brought to illegal mining activities in the Munduruku Indigenous territories.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/raid-house-Indigenous-rights-defender-alessandra-korap | ||||||||||||||||||||
27 | November 2019 | Brazil | Maranhão | Paulo Paulino Guajajara | Killing | Loggers | “Paulo Paulino Guajajara was shot and killed inside the Araribóia Indigenous territory. Guajajara was a member of the Indigenous forest guard called Guardians of the Forest." (The Guardian) | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/02/brazilian-forest-guardian-killed-by-illegal-loggers-in-ambush | ||||||||||||||||||||
28 | March 2019 | Brazil | Rondônia | Nemis Machado de Oliveira | Killing | Unknown | “Nemes was executed at the door of his home, in the rural area of Lábrea, a municipality in the south of Amazonas that, forgotten by the authorities, became a kind of laboratory of crime and deforestation. He was one of the leaders among the squatters who sought to secure a piece of land in Seringal São Domingos, an area of 22 thousand hectares that belongs to the Union, but is in dispute between squatters, loggers, farmers and land grabbers. Nemes was executed by six masked gunmen who entered the rubber plantation on motorcycles.” (Repórter Brasil) | https://reporterbrasil.org.br/covamedida/historia/labrea-am/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
29 | March 2019 | Brazil | Pará | Dilma Ferreira Silva | Killing | Unknown, possibly land grabber | “Dilma Ferreira Silva, a regional coordinator of Brazil's Movement of Dam-Affected Peoples (MAB), together with her husband Claudionor Costa da Silva and Hilton Lopes, a friend of the family, were assassinated…in the Amazonian state of Pará. The bodies of the three victims were found in [Silva’s] residence with signs of torture.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/statement-assassination-dilma-ferreira-silva-leader-brazils-movement-dam-affected https://www.cidse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/English_-_Public_Statement_Dilma_Ferreira.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||
30 | March 2019 | Brazil | Pará | Claudionor Costa da Silva | Killing | Unknown, possibly land grabber | “Dilma Ferreira Silva, a regional coordinator of Brazil's Movement of Dam-Affected Peoples (MAB), together with her husband Claudionor Costa da Silva and Hilton Lopes, a friend of the family, were assassinated…in the Amazonian state of Pará. The bodies of the three victims were found in [Silva’s] residence with signs of torture.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/statement-assassination-dilma-ferreira-silva-leader-brazils-movement-dam-affected https://www.cidse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/English_-_Public_Statement_Dilma_Ferreira.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||
31 | March 2019 | Brazil | Pará | Hilton Lopes | Killing | Unknown, possibly land grabber | “Dilma Ferreira Silva, a regional coordinator of Brazil's Movement of Dam-Affected Peoples (MAB), together with her husband Claudionor Costa da Silva and Hilton Lopes, a friend of the family, were assassinated…in the Amazonian state of Pará. The bodies of the three victims were found in [Silva’s] residence with signs of torture.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/statement-assassination-dilma-ferreira-silva-leader-brazils-movement-dam-affected https://www.cidse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/English_-_Public_Statement_Dilma_Ferreira.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||
32 | February 2019 | Brazil | Bahia | Rosivaldo Ferreira da Silva, better known as Cacique Babau | Murder plot | Unknown, military and police | Rosivaldo Ferreira da Silva, better known as Cacique Babau, was the target of a plot to kill him and his five family members. Babau was the leader of the Serra do Padeiro Tupinambá village, a community struggling for land rights and facing criminalisation, defamation, threats, and attempted killings that involve state agents and big farmers. Babau had previously been placed under house arrest after being arbitrarily arrested on by the military police. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/Indigenous-leader-cacique-babau-asks-protection-after-plot-kill-him-revealed | ||||||||||||||||||||
33 | April 2018 | Brazil | Rondônia | Ruan Hildebran Aguiar | Killing | Unknown | “Ruan Hildebrandt Aguiar was last seen on January 31, 2016. Ruan was a member of the League of Poor Peasants and lived in the settlement “Terra Nossa '' whose members were occupying the Tucumã farm in Cujubim – Rondônia. To this day Ruan’s body has not been found and the family have accepted that he is dead.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/?hrdrecord=ruan-hildebrandt-aguiar https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/ruan-hildebran-aguiar/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
34 | April 2018 | Brazil | Pará | Nazildo dos Santos Brito | Killing | Unknown | Land rights activist Nazildo dos Santos Brito was killed “in the remote rural area of Tome-Açu, civil police in the northern Para state said in a statement. Brito was a quilombola, as slave descendants are known, and the subject of lawsuits filed by palm oil company Biopalma da Amazonia SA, a subsidiary of giant mining company Vale. The company accused him of disturbance, invasion, threats and other crimes, according to local news website Amazonia Real.” (Voice of America) | https://www.voanews.com/a/land-activist-and-descendat-of-slaves-slain-in-brazil/4353427.html https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/17/murdered-Indigenous-land-activist-adds-to-rising-death-toll-in-brazils-amazon | ||||||||||||||||||||
35 | July 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Rosenildo Pereira de Almeida | Killing | Unknown, links to above case + police | “Rosenildo Pereira de Almeida was killed by unidentified assailants in Rio Maria, Pará, Brazil. His killing comes roughly one month after the slaughter of ten other land rights defenders on 24 May 2017 by police.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/land-rights-defender-rosenildo-pereira-de-almeida-killed | ||||||||||||||||||||
36 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Jane Julia de Oliveira | Killing | Military + police | "Jane Julia de Oliveira, president of the Association of Rural Workers, was shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. Nine other members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres were also killed." (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/liga-de-campesinos-pobres https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/jane-julia-de-oliveira/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
37 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva | Killing | Military + police | "Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Jane Julia de Oliveira, Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontations but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members." (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
38 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Regivaldo Pereira da Silva | Killing | Military + police | "Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontation but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members." (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
39 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Ronaldo Pereira de Souza | Killing | Military + police | Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontations but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
40 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Weldson Pereira da Silva | Killing | Military + police | Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontations but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
41 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Nelson Souza Milhomem | Killing | Military + police | Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontations but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
42 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Antonio Pereira Milhomem | Killing | Military + police | Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontations but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
43 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes | Killing | Military + police | Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontations but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
44 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Weclebson Pereira Milhomem | Killing | Military + police | Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontations but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
45 | May 2017 | Brazil | Pará | Hércules Santos de Oliveira | Killing | Military + police | Ten members of the Liga de Campesinos Pobres (LCP) – Weldson Pereira da Silva; Nelson Souza Milhomem; Weclebson Pereira Milhomem; Ozeir Rodrigues da Silva; Jane Julia de Oliveira; Regivaldo Pereira da Silva; Ronaldo Pereira de Souza; Bruno Henrique Pereira Gomes; Antonio Pereira Milhomem; Hércules Santos de Oliveira — were shot and killed when police carried out an attack on a camp of land occupiers on the Santa Lúcia estate. The police claim the killings took place during an armed confrontations but there is no evidence of violence from LCP members. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judge-releases-13-policemen-allegedly-involved-pau-darco-massacre | ||||||||||||||||||||
46 | May 2017 | Brazil | Rondônia | Paulo Sérgio Bento Oliveira | Killing | Military police | "Peasant Paulo Sérgio Bento Oliveira was killed by military police officers, specifically from the GOE (Special Operations Group)." (A Nova Democracia) | https://anovademocracia.com.br/ro-estudantes-e-professores-apoiam-luta-camponesa/ https://folhaderondonianews.com/news/amp/paulo-sergio-bento-oliveira/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
47 | April 2017 | Brazil | Minas Gerais | Silvino Nunes Gouveia | Killing | Unknown | "Silvino Nunes Gouveia, was shot and killed in his home in Assentamento Liberdade in Vale do Rio Doce, Minas Gerais, Brazil." (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/killing-human-rights-defender-silvino-nunes-gouveia https://mst.org.br/2020/04/24/tres-anos-de-impunidade-do-assassinato-de-silvino-gouveia/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
48 | September 2016 | Brazil | Rondônia | Edilene Mateus Porto | Killing | Unknown | “Edilene Mateus Porto and her husband, Isaque Dias Ferreira, were killed by unknown assailants. Both were members of the League of Poor Peasants of Rondônia and the Western Amazon (LCP). They had denounced criminal acts perpetrated by landowners in the area and had already received various death threats.” (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) | https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/edilene-mateus-porto-league-of-poor-peasants-of-rond%C3%B4nia-and-the-western-amazon-lcp/ https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2016/09/25/lideranca-assassinada-em-rondonia-havia-denunciado-ameacas-a-pm-no-ano-passado | ||||||||||||||||||||
49 | September 2016 | Brazil | Rondônia | Isaque Dias Ferreira | Killing | Unknown | “Edilene Mateus Porto and her husband, Isaque Dias Ferreira, were killed by unknown assailants. Both were members of the League of Poor Peasants of Rondônia and the Western Amazon (LCP). They had denounced criminal acts perpetrated by landowners in the area and had already received various death threats.” (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) | https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/edilene-mateus-porto-league-of-poor-peasants-of-rond%C3%B4nia-and-the-western-amazon-lcp/ https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2016/09/25/lideranca-assassinada-em-rondonia-havia-denunciado-ameacas-a-pm-no-ano-passado | ||||||||||||||||||||
50 | July 2016 | Brazil | Tocantins | Genivaldo Braz do Nascimento | Killing | Unknown | “Community leader Genivaldo Braz do Nascimento…was killed while sleeping at his home in the rural area of the municipality of Araguaína…Genivaldo was one of the leaders of the Gurguéia settlement and had previously registered three complaints about death threats. The Gurguéia is one of the settlements organized by the Landless Workers’ Movement in the state of Tocantins.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/genivaldo-braz-do-nascimiento/ https://g1.globo.com/to/tocantins/noticia/2016/07/policia-investiga-morte-de-lider-comunitario-em-araguaina.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
51 | June 2016 | Brazil | Rondônia | Nilce de Souza Magalhães | Killing | Edione Pessoa da Silva | “The body of human rights defender Ms Nilce de Souza Magalhães was found by the dam of Usina Hidrelétrica (UHE) in Jirau, Porto Velho. Previously, on 15 January 2016, Edione Pessoa da Silva was detained and confessed to her murder, but he escaped from prison shortly after. The human rights defender initially went missing on 7 January 2016.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/Case-History-Nilce-de-Souza-Magalhaes https://digital.newint.com.au/issues/113/articles/2895 | ||||||||||||||||||||
52 | June 2016 | Brazil | Mato Grosso do Sul | Clodieldo de Souza | Killing | Paramilitary | "Guarani-Kaiowá leader and human rights defender Clodieldo de Souza was shot dead during a raid conducted by paramilitary forces in the Indigenous settlement Tey Jussu, in the region of Caarapó (Mato Grosso do Sul, MS). The attackers are presumably acting on orders from local landowners who perceive Indigenous communities as obstacles to large scale farming in MS, despite these communities' constitutional right to have their territories demarcated. In addition to the murder of Clodieldo Souza, 10 other Guarani-Kaiowá people suffered gunshot wounds during the attack on their homes." (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-clodieldo-de-souza https://hrdmemorial.org/ru/hrdrecord/clodieldo-de-souza/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
53 | June 2016 | Brazil | Paraty | Jaison Caique Sampaio | Killing | Police/security guards | “Jaison Caique Sampaio was shot and killed by two off duty military policemen who work as private security for the multinational company Trindade Desenvolvimento Territorial (TDT). Sampaio was at his house when he got shot on the neck, back and leg. There had been an ongoing dispute between a local Indigenous community and TDT which is claiming ownership of the land and trying to force the Indigenous community off the land.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/jaison-caique-sampaio/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
54 | April 2016 | Brazil | Bahia | Paulino Terena | Threats, Intimidation | Government | Indigenous leader Paulino Terena has experienced ongoing harassment, intimidation, and threats. Terena has worked to denounce and expose the killings committed against Indigenous persons in Brazil and he is currently under the protection of the National Programme for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-paulino-terena | ||||||||||||||||||||
55 | April 2016 | Brazil | Paraná | Leomar Bhorbak | Killing | Military police | “Vilmar Bordim and Leomar Bhorbak were shot and killed when militayr police and security guards from the company Araupel, ambushed rural workers from the Landless Workers Movement (MST). The military police shot 128 bullets.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/leomar-bhorback/ https://viacampesina.org/en/brazil-mst-asks-for-more-land-reform-and-for-a-stop-in-the-criminalization-of-the-movement/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
56 | April 2016 | Brazil | Paraná | Vilmar Bordim | Killing | Military police | “Vilmar Bordim and Leomar Bhorbak were shot and killed when militayr police and security guards from the company Araupel, ambushed rural workers from the Landless Workers Movement (MST). The military police shot 128 bullets.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/leomar-bhorback/ https://viacampesina.org/en/brazil-mst-asks-for-more-land-reform-and-for-a-stop-in-the-criminalization-of-the-movement/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
57 | January 2016 | Brazil | Rondônia | Allysson Henrique Lopes | Killing | Farmer/landowner | Allyson Henrique de Sá Lopes, also known as Bá, was shot and killed. de Sá Lopes “was a member of the League of Poor Peasants and lived in the settlement “Terra Nossa” whose members were occupying the Tucumã farm in Cujubim – Rondônia.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/alysson-henrique-lopes/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
58 | September 2015 | Brazil | Mato Grosso do Sul | Semião Fernandes Vilhalva | Killing | Unknown | “Semião Fernandes Vilhalva was killed in a land recuperation operation after the Guarani-Kaiowás occupied their ancestral lands in the municipality of Antônio João in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.Vilhalva was one of the leaders of the Guarani-Kaiowá indigenous people and he had actively participated in the struggle for the recognition of indigenous territories and the recognition of the ancestral lands of the Guarani-Kaiowá people.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/node/915 https://www.fidh.org/en/region/americas/brazil/brazil-killing-of-mr-semiao-fernandes-vilhalva-one-of-the-leaders-of | ||||||||||||||||||||
59 | August 2015 | Brazil | Maranhão | Raimundo dos Santos | Killing | Loggers | "Unidentified individuals attacked and killed human rights defender Raimundo dos Santos Rodrigues, a prominent environmental rights defender in Brazil." (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/node/917 https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/killing-of-mr-raimundo-dos-santos-rodrigues | ||||||||||||||||||||
60 | May 2015 | Brazil | Pará | Leidiane Drosdroski Machado | Killing | Unknown | “Leidiane Drosdroski Machado was one of two protesters killed when a car intentionally rammed a protest against Belo Monte Dam in Vitória do Xingu. The protest was organized by river dwellers and fishermen who were asking Norte Energia to recognize their rights as dam-affected people.” (International Rivers) | https://www.internationalrivers.org/murdered-for-their-rivers-a-roster-of-fallen-dam-fighters/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
61 | May 2015 | Brazil | Pará | Daniel Vilanova Dias | Killing | Unknown | “Daniel Vilanova Dias was one of two protesters killed when a car intentionally rammed a protest against Belo Monte Dam in Vitória do Xingu. The protest was organized by river dwellers and fishermen who were asking Norte Energia to recognize their rights as dam-affected people.” (International Rivers) | https://www.internationalrivers.org/murdered-for-their-rivers-a-roster-of-fallen-dam-fighters/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
62 | December 2014 | Brazil | Mato Grosso do Sul | Julia Venezuela Almeida Guarani Kaiowá | Killing | Unknown | "Indigenous woman, Julia Venezuela Almeida Guarani Kaiowá, was shot and killed when an armed group descended from dozens of pickup trucks and began shooting at the community." (Cimi) | https://cimi.org.br/2014/12/36796/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
63 | Ongoing since 2021 | Colombia | Cauca | Pedro Velasco | Threat, attack | Unknown | :Land issue with Smurfit Kappa (Irish company). Pedro has been the victim of different attacks, from receiving anonymous phone calls with death threats to being pursued on the road by unknown vehicles. The Misak leader has already denounced his situation to both the Colombian and international authorities, but so far these incidents have not been investigated and Pedro Velasco has not been granted State measures to protect his life." (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/joint-statement-front-line-defenders-sumofus-and-lasc https://inthesetimes.com/article/Indigenous-campesino-colombia-resistance-irish-multinational | ||||||||||||||||||||
64 | Ongoing since 2013 | Colombia | Antioquia | Environmental rights defenders from Movimiento Ríos Vivos | Threats, intimidation, killings | Military | Since January 2014 environmental human rights defenders from Movimiento Rios Vivos – MRV (Living Rivers Movement) have been facing death threats, surveillance, break-ins, smear campaigns and harassment. In 2013, two members of Movimiento Rios Vivos were murdered. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/threats-against-environmental-rights-defenders-movimiento-r%C3%ADos-vivos | ||||||||||||||||||||
65 | Ongoing since 2013 | Colombia | Antioquia | Environmental rights defenders from Movimiento Ríos Vivos | Threats, intimidation, killings | Military | Since January 2014 environmental human rights defenders from Movimiento Rios Vivos – MRV (Living Rivers Movement) have been facing death threats, surveillance, break-ins, smear campaigns and harassment. In 2013, two members of Movimiento Rios Vivos were murdered. | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/threats-against-environmental-rights-defenders-movimiento-r%C3%ADos-vivos | ||||||||||||||||||||
66 | Ongoing since 2013 | Colombia | Antioquia | Environmental rights defenders from Movimiento Ríos Vivos | Threats, intimidation, killings | Military | Since January 2014 environmental human rights defenders from Movimiento Rios Vivos – MRV (Living Rivers Movement) have been facing death threats, surveillance, break-ins, smear campaigns and harassment. In 2013, two members of Movimiento Rios Vivos were murdered. | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/threats-against-environmental-rights-defenders-movimiento-r%C3%ADos-vivos | ||||||||||||||||||||
67 | March 2023 | Colombia | Huila | Alirio Perdomo | Attempted murder | Unknown | “Human rights defender and community leader Alirio Perdomo was the target of an attempted assassination by two unknown men on a motorcycle. Alirio Perdomo is an artisanal fisherman, one of the leaders of the Association of People Affected by the El Quimbo Hydroelectric Project and president of the Association of Calandrero Fishermen of the Magdalena River in the municipality of Hobo, in the department of Huila in Colombia.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/attempted-killing-human-rights-defender-alirio-perdomo-asoquimbo | ||||||||||||||||||||
68 | November 2022 | Colombia | Cauca | Juvencio Cerquera | Killing | Armed group | “Indigenous guard and spiritual leader Juvencio Cerquera, of the Kokonuko Indigenous people, was killed after being hit by a projectile. The shot was allegedly fired by armed men attempting to evict the Paletará Indigenous reservation from La Unión farm. Eleven other people were wounded in the same eviction attempt.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/joint-statement-front-line-defenders-sumofus-and-lasc | ||||||||||||||||||||
69 | May 2022 | Colombia | Cesar | Guillermo Pérez Rangel | Attempted murder | Unknown | “Human rights defender Guillermo Pérez Rangel was physically attacked by two unknown individuals who threatened him with death, insulted him and beat him at a Transmilenio station in the center of Bogotá. Rangel has a long history of defending human and environmental rights, and has suffered previous attacks and threats that led to his inclusion in the National Protection Unit in 2016.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/lack-protection-after-new-death-threat-and-attack-against-human-rights-defender-guillermo-perez | ||||||||||||||||||||
70 | March 2022 | Colombia | Magdalena Medio | Linda Oneida Suárez Sánchez | Intimidation, threats | Unknown | “Linda Oneida Suárez Sánchez has experienced constant threats and intimidation in retaliation to demanding her rights and attempts to stop the negative impacts of fracking in the region. In one instance, Sánchez received a text message warning her to keep quiet or she would be killed.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/colombia-failure-protect-threats-and-killings-human-rights-defenders-continue | ||||||||||||||||||||
71 | February 2022 | Colombia | Magdalena Medio | Teófilo Acuña | Killing | Possibly, armed men in military uniforms | “Teófilo Acuña and Jorge Alberto Tafur were shot and killed in front of their families by potential hitmen in military uniforms. Acuña and Tafur had previously faced threats. The pair were prominent peasant leaders who were known for their commitment to the fight for land for peasants, the defense of human rights, and denouncing the abuses of powerful companies, paramilitaries, and landowners.” (Frontline Defenders, Colombia Informa) | https://www.colombiainforma.info/recordando-a-teofilo-acuna-y-jorge-alberto-tafur/ https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/teofilo-acuna | ||||||||||||||||||||
72 | February 2022 | Colombia | Magdalena Medio | Jorge Alberto Tafur | Killing | Possibly, armed men in military uniforms | “Teófilo Acuña and Jorge Alberto Tafur were shot and killed in front of their families by potential hitmen in military uniforms. Acuña and Tafur had previously faced threats. The pair were prominent peasant leaders who were known for their commitment to the fight for land for peasants, the defense of human rights, and denouncing the abuses of powerful companies, paramilitaries, and landowners.” (Frontline Defenders, Colombia Informa) | https://www.colombiainforma.info/recordando-a-teofilo-acuna-y-jorge-alberto-tafur/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
73 | January 2022 | Colombia | Casanare | Luz Marina Arteaga Henao | Killing | Unknown | “Luz Marina Arteaga Henao was reported missing on 12th January 2022. Five days later, her lifeless body was found on the banks of the Meta River. Henao was a doctor, social leader, woman human rights defender and land claimant in the peasant and Indigenous process of El Porvenir and Vereda Matarratón in Puerto Gaitán.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/luz-marina-arteaga-henao | ||||||||||||||||||||
74 | September 2021 | Colombia | Chocó | Dilio Bailarín | Killing | Paramilitary | Dilio Bailarin, Indigenous leader and member of the Alto Guayabalito Community, was killed in Carmen del Darién town, in the Chocó department. He had recently received threats from illegal armed groups operating in the municipality. (People's Dispatch) | https://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/09/23/killing-of-social-leaders-and-human-rights-defenders-continues-unabated-in-colombia/ https://www.protectioninternational.org/news/statement-oidhaco-and-the-undersigned-organisations-express-concern-about-the-increased-risk-to-human-rights-defenders-and-the-humanitarian-crisis-in-choco/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
75 | August 2021 | Colombia | Cauca | Huber Samir Camayo | Killing | Police (Mobile Anti-Riot Squad) | Huber Samir Camayo was shot and killed by the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (ESMAD) during a peaceful occupation of Smurfit Kappa’s property. Police violently evicted the 70 protesters from the Irish corporation’s property amid intense state repression. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/joint-statement-front-line-defenders-sumofus-and-lasc https://inthesetimes.com/article/Indigenous-campesino-colombia-resistance-irish-multinational | ||||||||||||||||||||
76 | June 2021 | Colombia | Nariño | Danilo Torres | Killing | Paramilitary | Ilegal armed groups murdered Danilo Torres, a social leader and legal representative for Manos Unidas Community Council in the Patía River. (Washington Office on Latin America) | https://www.wola.org/2021/08/ongoing-protests-and-abuses-in-colombia/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
77 | June 2021 | Colombia | Antioquia | Ángel Miro Cartagena | Killing | Paramilitary | The social leader Ángel Miro Cartagena, who had been missing since last Monday in the rural area of Dabeiba, Antioquia, was found dead. According to preliminary information, the social leader Ángel Miro Cartagena would have been approached by men from the Clan del Golfo when he was in the Llano Grande sector of the Urama district, precisely his body was found in the river. (Noticias Caracol) | https://www.noticiascaracol.com/antioquia/denuncian-asesinato-de-lider-social-angel-miro-cartagena-en-antioquia https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/43-Massacres-in-Colombia-so-Far-This-Year-20210621-0007.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
78 | May 2021 | Colombia | Antioquia | Jair Adán Roldán Morales | Killing | Unknown | Jair Adán Roldán Morales, was taken from his home in the village of El Tamar in the municipality of Remedios, in the northern department of Antioquia. Roldan's body was found in the evening hours of Friday, May 28, unarmed and riddled with bullets in the Santo Domingo village of the municipality of Cantagallo. The farmer was the brother of a recognized leader of the Comunes party in the process of reincorporation in the region. (Radio Havana Cuba) | https://www.radiohc.cu/en/noticias/internacionales/259060-another-social-leader-murdered-in-northern-colombia https://www.telesurtv.net/news/colombia-asesinato-lider-social-norte-20210530-0017.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
79 | April 2021 | Colombia | Cauca | Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué | Killing | Unknown | “Indigenous human rights defender Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué was violently abducted and shot dead by four unidentified armed men who entered her home. Chocué was an Indigenous Authority of the Nasa people and governor of the Indigenous reserve “La Laguna-Siberia SAT Tama kiwe” in Cauca.” (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/killing-nasa-woman-human-rights-defender-sandra-liliana-pena-chocue | ||||||||||||||||||||
80 | January 2021 | Colombia | Antioquia | Remberto Arrieta Bohórquez | Killing | Paramilitary | “Remberto Arrieta Bohórquez was forcibly taken from his home, taken to the La Barrigona ravine, and killed by an armed group. The group then returned to the town center and announced to the community that they could not collect the body and were not allowed to notify authorities until much later.” (Análisis Urbano) | https://analisisurbano.org/remberto-arrieta-lider-social-de-taraza-y-miembro-del-pnis-fue-asesinado-en-la-noche-del-31-de-enero/119446/ https://caracol.com.co/emisora/2021/02/01/medellin/1612208742_674847.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
81 | December 2020 | Colombia | Chocó | Miguel Tapí Rito | Killing | Paramilitary | Miguel Tapí Rito was an Indigenous leader of the Emberá Dobida people. He had previously been governor and spokesperson for the Indigenous communities of El Brazo and Bakuru Purru in Bahía Solano, Chocó. On December 3, 2020, Miguel was at his home in the Alto del Río Valle reservation in Bahía Solano when a group of hooded and armed men arrived at the house. They identified themselves as members of the AGC (Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) and asked him to accompany them. They headed towards the river and when he did not return after several hours, his family went to look for him. They found his body next to the river. They had decapitated him. (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/es/hrdrecord/miguel-tapi-rito/ https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/endless-war-drug-trafficking/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
82 | December 2020 | Colombia | Magdalena Medio | Nini Cárdenas Rueda | Threat | Paramilitary | Nini Cárdenas Rueda received a death threat during a phone call with a man who identified himself as commander of the paramilitary group known as “Los Caparros” who operate in the Magdalena Medio region of Colombia. The death threats received by Nini Cárdenas are in response to her human rights work denouncing the illegal development of extractable resources on or under peasant communities’ land in Carmen de Chucurí, Santander. (Frontline Defenders) | https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/environmental-human-rights-defender-nini-c%C3%A1rdenas-rueda-receives-death-threat | ||||||||||||||||||||
83 | November 2020 | Colombia | Chocó | Genaro Isabare Forastero | Killing | Unknown | Forastero was detained by armed men on November 12 after they attacked in the Embera Dobida de Ecevede Indigenous community of the Ankozó Catrú and Dubasa reservations, located in Alto Baudó. Two days later, the community members found his dead body in the woods near reservations, confirming that the leader was tortured and later killed. (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/fr/hrdrecord/genaro-isabare-forastero/ https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/11/17/colombia-witnesses-one-of-the-bloodiest-weekends-of-the-year/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
84 | October 2020 | Colombia | Antioquia | Mary Luz Pérez Camaño | Killing | Unknown | Mary Luz Pérez Camaño was a member of community development organisation Mujeres Siembra, where she coordinated women’s agricultural projects which aimed to provide economic support and food security to low-income communities, in El Bagre, Antioquia. On 13 October, 2020, Mary Luz was returning home after delivering an order of chickens to a local shop when she was intercepted by armed men who shot her dead. There is no record of her having received threats previously. (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/mary-luz-perez-camano/ https://caracol.com.co/emisora/2020/10/14/medellin/1602702472_079810.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
85 | October 2020 | Colombia | Chocó | Oswaldo Rojas | Killing | Paramilitary | Oswaldo Rojas was taken from his workplace by paramilitaries and shot several times. His body was abandoned near a teak plantation. The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC) are said to be responsible. Rojas was dedicated to social and agricultural work in the Curvará River basin. (Telesur TV) | https://www.telesurtv.net/news/colombia-asesinato-lider-social-oswaldo-rojas-20201012-0004.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
86 | October 2020 | Colombia | Narino | Ana Lucia Bisbicús | Killing | Paramilitary | “Ana Lucía Bisbicús was attending a wake in the house of a neighbor when members of an armed criminal group arrived and forced her to leave the ceremony, dragging her out by her hair. They took her behind the church, forced her to kneel down and shot her dead.Bisbicús’s family had received, and reported, multiple threats during the previous 8 months and her son, Deiro Alexander Pérez Bisbicús, had been killed on 6 May, 2020. Bisbicús, was a community leader and Indigenous rights defender on the reservation of the Awá Pipalta Palví Yaguapí people in Barbacoas, Nariño where she was involved in numerous projects to promote the welfare of the community.” (HRD Memorial) | https://www.onic.org.co/noticias/98-regionales/4059-asesinan-mujer-awa-del-resguardo-de-pipalta-palvi-yaguapi https://hrdmemorial.org/pt/hrdrecord/ana-lucia-bisbicus/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
87 | August 2020 | Colombia | Meta | Julio César Sogamoso | Killing | Unknown | Julio César Sogamoso, president of the Junta de Acción Comunal, was shot dead. He was also a member of the Asociación Campesina de Pequeños y Medianos Productores del Río Cafre (the Peasant Association of Small and Medium Farmers in Río Cafre)–AGROCAFRE. (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/julio-cesar-sogamoso/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
88 | August 2020 | Colombia | Cauca | Abelardo Liz Cuetia | Killing | Military | “Abelardo Liz Cuetia was reporting on a land occupation in the village of El Barranco de Corinto, organized by community members to recover ancestral Indigenous land which had been occupied by private individuals and companies. As he was reporting the army arrived to break up the occupation and opened fire injuring several people. Cuetia was wounded in the shooting and died later from his injuries. Cuetia had worked for 5 years as spokesperson for the Indigenous Council of Corinto, who worked for a community radio station, had worked for 5 years as spokesperson for the Indigenous Council of Corinto and had campaigned for Indigenous and land rights.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/ru/?hrdrecord=jose-abelardo-liz-cuetia https://rsf.org/en/community-radio-reporter-shot-dead-southwestern-colombia | ||||||||||||||||||||
89 | August 2020 | Colombia | Cauca | Uberney Muñoz | Killing | Paramilitary | Uberney Muñoz was a community and peasant leader in Argelia, Cauca. He was a member of the Asociación Campesina de Trabajadores de Argelia (Association of Farm Workers of Argelia), ASCAMTA and was well known for his work in support of many community development projects. On 13 August, 2020, Uberney was driving in his truck on the road between Argelia and Balboa when he was intercepted by a group of armed men who shot him dead. (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/uberney-munoz-daza/ https://www.elespectador.com/ambiente/en-memoria-de-quienes-defienden-el-ambiente-en-colombia-y-fueron-asesinados/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
90 | August 2020 | Colombia | Cauca | Carlos Alberto Ruiz Restrepo | Killing | Paramilitary | “At kilometer 12 that links Cali with the Pichindé district, Carlos Alberto Ruiz Restrepo, a prominent community leader, was killed for making constant complaints that revolved around illegal mining. Residents of the community tried to help him, but due to the seriousness of the injuries he died. Uniformed members of the Sijin and the CTI carried out the removal of the body.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/carlos-alberto-ruiz-restrepo/ https://www.elespectador.com/ambiente/en-memoria-de-quienes-defienden-el-ambiente-en-colombia-y-fueron-asesinados/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
91 | August 2020 | Colombia | Bolívar | Hernando José Molina Villamizar | Killing | Paramilitary | Hernando José Molina Villamizar was killed by members of the ELN. Villamizar worked to protect the community from mining and extractive industries. (Hoy Diario Del Magdalena) | https://hoydiariodelmagdalena.com.co/archivos/399956/eln-asesino-a-magdalenense/ https://www.elespectador.com/ambiente/en-memoria-de-quienes-defienden-el-ambiente-en-colombia-y-fueron-asesinados/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
92 | August 2020 | Colombia | Cauca | Mauricio Pérez Martínez | Killing | Paramilitary | Mauricio Pérez Martínez was an Indigenous rights defender and leader of the Hitmü people in Arauquita. He was the governor of the la Vorágine reservation and lived in the community of La Ilusión. He was working on a project to strengthen and protect the reservation which was being coordinated by the central government, the Human Rights Ombudsman and the Attorney General of the state. On the 5 August, 2020 a group of 10 armed men arrived on the reservation at 7am in the morning and identified themselves as members of a dissident part of the FARC, the “Décimo Frente Martín Villa de las FARC-EP.” They dragged Mauricio out of his house and shot him dead. They then pinned a leaflet to his body threatening the whole community. (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/ru/hrdrecord/mauricio-perez-martinez/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
93 | July 2020 | Colombia | Cauca | José Gustavo Arcila Rivera | Killing | Unknown | José Gustavo Arcila Rivera was a community leader, a member of the Guardia Campesina (Peasant Guard) and several other community organisations. On the morning of Sunday, 26 July, 2020, José Gustavo was at home on his farm in the community of La Cominera when a gunman arrived and shot him several times. (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/jose-gustavo-arcila-rivera/ https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/colombia-another-social-leader-killed-in-corinto-municipality-20200727-0024.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
94 | July 2020 | Colombia | Norte de Santander | Ernesto Aguilar Barreras | Killing | Criminal group | Ernesto Aguilar Barreras was a 34-year-old peasant leader, farmer and member of the Asociación Campesina del Catatumbo, and of the Junta de Acción Comunal (Community Action Board) in the village of Totumito. On the morning of July 18, 2020, while he was driving through the village, Ernesto was stopped by a group of heavily armed men who took him to the upper part of the Totumito village and shot him dead. (HRD Memorial/Semana) | https://hrdmemorial.org/fr/hrdrecord/ernesto-aguilar-barreras/ https://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/asociacion-campesina-denuncia-masacre-en-tibu-norte-de-santander--noticias/687670/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
95 | July 2020 | Colombia | Nariño | Rodrigo Salazar | Killing | Unknown | Unknown assailants shot and killed Rodrigo Salazar, the Indigenous governor of Llorente, a town on Colombia’s Pacific coast, and a member of the Awá ethnic group. (Diritti Globali) | https://www.dirittiglobali.it/2020/07/Indigenous-and-afro-descendant-communities-in-colombia-denounce-the-assassination-of-human-rights-defenders/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
96 | June 2020 | Colombia | Choco | Javier Uragama Chamorro | Killing | Unknown | “Indigenous rights defender José Javier Uragama Chamorro, was the father of 4 children and the Chief of the Emberá People in the community of Agua Clara, in the municipality of Bajo Baudó. As José Javier was returning by boat to Agua Clara he was intercepted by armed men who tortured him brutally and shot him ten times.” (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/fr/hrdrecord/jose-javier-uragama-chamorro/ https://www.elespectador.com/ambiente/en-memoria-de-quienes-defienden-el-ambiente-en-colombia-y-fueron-asesinados/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
97 | June 2020 | Colombia | Antioquia | Edier Adán Lopera | Killing | Paramilitary | On 15 June, 2020 Edier was shot dead by members of a paramilitary group in the village of Caracolí. The gunmen prevented the family from removing the body for medical examination for a total of 9 days as a way to intimidate the rest of the community. Edier had been receiving direct death threats for some time. (HRD Memorial) | https://hrdmemorial.org/ar/hrdrecord/edier-adan-lopera/ https://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/grupo-armado-impide-levantamiento-de-cadaver-de-lider-asesinado-en-taraza/681402/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
98 | May 2020 | Colombia | Norte de Santander | Joel Aguablanca Villamizar | Killing | Military | Joel Aguablanca Villamizar celebrated his 39th birthday at his in-laws' house. Two days later, he lost his life at the hands of the Army, during an operation against the ELN. Although seven soldiers face a disciplinary trial, almost four years after the events, there are still no perpetrators. (Earthrights International) | https://earthrights.org/media_release/earthrights-rechaza-asesinato-lider-indigena-joel-aguablanca-uwa/ https://cambiocolombia.com/crimen-del-lider-indigena-uwa-joel-aguablanca-que-ejercito-quiere-pasar-de-agache | ||||||||||||||||||||
99 | May 2020 | Colombia | Cauca | María Nelly Cuetia Dagua | Killing | Unknown | María Nelly Cuetia Dagua and Pedro María Ángel Tróchez were Indigenous leaders and traditional doctors in the Nasa community of Los Andes in the municipality of Corinto, Cauca. On 28 May, 2020, as the two community elders were carrying out a spiritual ritual armed men arrived at their home, forced them both into a truck and drove off. The rest of the community contacted their traditional leaders and started an immediate search. The next morning the bodies of María Nelly and Pedro María were found dumped in a remote area about sixteen kilometres away. They had both been shot and the bodies showed signs of torture. (El Espectador) | https://www.elespectador.com/colombia/mas-regiones/denuncian-asesinato-de-dos-medicos-indigenas-en-corinto-cauca-article/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
100 | May 2020 | Colombia | Cauca | Pedro Ángel María Tróchez Medina | Killing | Unknown | María Nelly Cuetia Dagua and Pedro María Ángel Tróchez were Indigenous leaders and traditional doctors in the Nasa community of Los Andes in the municipality of Corinto, Cauca. On 28 May, 2020, as the two community elders were carrying out a spiritual ritual armed men arrived at their home, forced them both into a truck and drove off. The rest of the community contacted their traditional leaders and started an immediate search. The next morning the bodies of María Nelly and Pedro María were found dumped in a remote area about sixteen kilometres away. They had both been shot and the bodies showed signs of torture. (El Espectador) | https://www.elespectador.com/colombia/mas-regiones/denuncian-asesinato-de-dos-medicos-indigenas-en-corinto-cauca-article/ | ||||||||||||||||||||