PBI-Mexico accompanies the Forum on the Situation of Environmental Defenders on World Environment Day

Published by Brent Patterson on

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PBI-Mexico has posted:

#WorldEnvironmentDay Today [June 5] we accompany the Forum on the Situation of Environmental Defenders: Challenges in the framework of World Environment Day together with @CEMDA [Mexican Centre for Environmental Law], @CDHZL [the “Zeferino Ladrillero” Human Rights Center] and @EspacioOSC [Space of Civil Society Organizations for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists].

The Spanish news agency EFE reports: “A total of 102 environmental defenders have been killed during the government of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, which began on December 1, 2018, and will end on September 30, the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) reported Wednesday [June 5], World Environment Day.”

“In 2018 there were 21 lethal attacks, a figure that dropped to 15 by 2019; in 2020, they rose to 18, and by 2021, the upward trend continued with 25 cases, which dropped to 24 in 2022. Last year alone, a total of 123 attacks against this group were reported, 20 of which were lethal.”

That article continues: “One of the axes of the colloquium organized by the Zeferino Ladrillero Human Rights Center (CDHZL) revolved around the consequences that the megaprojects championed by López Obrador, such as the Mayan Train or the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, have had on the environment and local communities. …he human rights manager of CEMDA, Felipe Romero, placed the majority of cases of stigmatization against environmentalists “concentrated in the southern region of the country,” where the aforementioned projects are being developed.”

The Guardian has also reported: “Almost four out of every 10 journalists covering the climate crisis and environment issues have been threatened as a result of their work, with 11% subjected to physical violence, according to groundbreaking new research.”

That article notes: “The Covering the Planet report includes in-depth interviews with 74 journalists from 31 countries about what help they need to do a better job reporting extreme weather, plastics pollution, water scarcity, and mining as global heating and unchecked corporate greed pushes the planet to its limits.”

Forbes adds: “The Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index now ranks Mexico in 128th place, among the world’s worst countries in terms of press freedom. In total, 44 journalists have been killed in Mexico during Lopez Obrador’s time in office.”

We continue to follow this.

#DíaMundialdelMedioAmbiente

Photo by Espacio OSC.


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