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PBI-Colombia accompanies Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation on verification mission after Ecuadorian army incursion into Indigenous reserve

By
Brent Patterson
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PBI-Colombia has posted on Instagram:

“We accompanied @fundacionnydiaerikabautista [the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation] on the verification mission to the San Marcelino reserve in Putumayo following the incursion of the Ecuadorian army into the reserve in 2023. The Foundation reiterated the need to respect and safeguard the rights of indigenous peoples.

Photos: communication team of Fundación Nydia Erika Bautista.”

A year ago, on July 29, 2023, El Pais reported:

“An unusual event that has outraged the nation was known. It is the incursion of members of the Ecuadorian Army into Colombian territory. According to the information that is known, they detained the governor of the San Marcelino reservation, his spouse and four other members of the indigenous guard.

This event occurred in Putumayo around noon on Saturday, July 29. The National Protection Unit (UNP) and the “Nydia Erika Bautista” Foundation for Human Rights denounced this incursion by members of the Ecuadorian Army.

According to the UNP, the mayor of San Miguel, Putumayo, confirmed the news and requested the presence of Colombian authorities in the Yarinal de San Marcelino reservation, where the Ecuadorian military held the Colombian indigenous people.

For its part, the “Nydia Erika Bautista” Foundation for Human Rights denounced this fact. “Violent military incursion by the Ecuadorian army puts indigenous people of the San Marcelino Indigenous Reservation in La Dorada, Putumayo, at high risk. We warn about possible arbitrary detentions and violations of human rights and the rights of the Kichwa people and their authorities.”

And they added: “We ask for support from the Ombudsman’s Office and UNP under Collective Protection Measures.”“

The full article can be read in El Pais at Lo último: Ejército de Ecuador invadió territorio colombiano y retuvo al gobernador del resguardo San Marcelino (El Pais, July 29, 2023).

On July 30, 2023, the Spanish news agency EFE added: “In a statement, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry did not confirm or deny that the incursion into Colombian territory had taken place and limited itself to pointing out that a dialogue [between the countries] is being maintained “regarding any situation that may exist regarding this operation.” …According to information from the Ecuadorian authorities cited by the Foreign Ministry, 20 kilos of cocaine hydrochloride were seized in the operation.”

That article can be read at Ecuador mantiene diálogo con Colombia tras denuncia de incursión de militares ecuatorianos (EFE, July 30, 2023).

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has accompanied the “Nydia Erika Bautista” Foundation since 2007.

PBI-Guatemala accompanies BDH lawyer as Maya Q’eqchi’ resist appropriation of ancestral territory for tourist site

By
Brent Patterson
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PBI-Guatemala has posted:

“Today #PBI accompanies the Human Rights Law Firm (BDH) in Cobán, for a delivery of memorials to the Sixth Room of the Court of Appeals. They are presented on behalf of the seven criminalized people, for their peaceful resistance against the appropriation of their lands in Semuc Champey.

After the submission of the documents, a press conference was held to raise awareness of the case, explaining to the media that the sentence that acquitted the seven people in 2023 must be recognized.

Now the 15 day period to receive a response from the Court begins, they hope to be summoned to a public hearing in the capital.”

Factor 4 has also explained:

“Injustice and Dispossession: The Struggle of the Q’eqchi’ Communities of Semuc Champey against Criminalization and Impunity.

The criminalization of the community authorities of Semuc Champey began in 2015 and 2016, when the State of Guatemala used excessive police force against the communities of Chicanuz, Semil, Chisubin and Santa María Semuc, affecting girls and boys. These events went unpunished, with no punishment for the responsible officials. In contrast, community authorities have been punished through judicial processes for the defense of their sacred territory.

Since 2016, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office and the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) have sought to criminalize ancestral and community authorities by accusing them of usurpation of protected areas. Despite these historical precedents, the representatives of the Q’eqchi’ communities, in an act of good faith, submitted to the constitutional and ordinary legal system, even though it was not their own.

Throughout history, a series of dispossessions have been evidenced by the imposition of a legal system alien to the peoples of Mayan origin that inhabit the Guatemalan territory. The situation of the Mayan Q’eqchi’ communities of Chicanuz, Semil, Chisubin and Santa María Semuc is a clear example of land dispossession, discrimination and criminalization. One of the many evidences of this dispossession is the promulgation of Decree 25-2005, which declared Semuc Champey a Natural Monument without prior free, informed, and culturally relevant consultation on the management dispositions and the area. This decree designated a sacred site of the Maya Q’eqchi’ people as a tourist site, affecting their way of life.”

PBI-Guatemala has accompanied the Human Rights Law Firm (BDH) since 2013.

Video: “Communities near Semuc Champey. LIVE| Attorney Fabiola Rodriguez, provides information on the situation of four communities near Semuc Champey.”

Photo by Factor 4.

PBI-Guatemala accompanies ceremony with land titles of the Maya Poqomam people of Santa Cruz Chinautla

By
Brent Patterson
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PBI-Guatemala has posted:

“On Sunday [July 7], #PBI accompanied in the act of ‘presentation of the historical titles of the communal lands of the Maya Poqomam people of Santa Cruz Chinautla’.

This research, initiated in 2018 with the expert lawyer Juan Carlos Pelaez, includes certificates of title dated in the years 1753 and 1899 that demonstrate the registration of these lands in the name of the common of Chinautla.

The ancestral authorities pointed out that the delivery of these title deeds is a historical milestone for the recognition of the Poqomam’ people and a beginning for the recovery of their lands and common goods.

The ceremony was also attended by ancestral authorities from other regions, several international and national organizations, as well as representatives of COPADEH [the Presidential Commission for Peace and Human Rights] and other government agencies.”

Factor 4 has also tweeted: “Mayan Poqomam Ancestral Authorities of Santa Cruz #Chinautla have presented historical titles of communal lands. Under the energies of 8 Ajmaq [a special day to prevent mistakes and to give thanks] and around the sacred fire, ancestral authorities of Iximulew, Poqomam villagers, representatives of social organizations, other Mayan peoples and the government handed over historical communal land titles of the Maya Poqomam people, dating back to 1773. These titles will be in the custody of the ancestral authorities in the indigenous mayor’s office and will be passed on to future generations.”

And María Guarchaj has tweeted: “Under the energies Wajxaqib’ Ajmaq ri tinamit xekikotik. In the Poqomam territory, Santa Cruz Chinautla, they carried out a historic act, handing over the titles to communal lands that had been dispossessed for many years. Through a map they show where the lands border.”

Colonization

The colonial period in Guatemalan history is customarily dated from 1524 to 1821.

The Minority Rights Group adds: “[The Spanish invasion in the 16th century resulted in] the dispossession of lands and the use of Mayans for forced labour on cocoa and indigo plantations. Mayan leaders today refer to the massacres of the 1980s [during the internal armed conflict] as the ‘third holocaust’, the other two being the Spanish conquest and its aftermath, and the land dispossession during the Liberal revolution of the nineteenth century [1871 to 1944].”

PBI-Guatemala has previously commented on Indigenous peoples in Guatemala being “subjected to continuous dispossession dating back to the Spanish conquest”, “the looting of natural wealth”, the “history of dispossession” and that the “State’s response to [Indigenous resistance] has been characterized by repression” and “genocide” and “increased criminalization”.

Peace Brigades International has also noted: “International declarations and mechanisms on indigenous rights enshrine the right to self-determination for indigenous peoples and recognise the importance of land rights for the original inhabitants of many countries now governed by the descendants of colonisers. These rights are often the focus of conflict as powerful interests wish to exploit the natural resources found within and beneath traditional territories. Defenders of land rights, culture and natural resources can find themselves facing powerful interests and brutal opposition.”

The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) notes: “Guatemala has a population of 14.9 million people, of which 6.5 million (43.75%) belong to the 22 Mayan [including Poqomam, Ch’ortí, Ixil, Q’eqchí], one Garífuna, one Xinca and one Creole or Afro-descendant peoples.”

PBI-Colombia accompanies CREDHOS in humanitarian search for missing persons in Sur de Bolivar

By
Brent Patterson
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CREDHOS has posted:

“The humanitarian search has an intrinsic value: solidarity. Many people accompany and support the search, feeling empathy for people living with uncertainty about the whereabouts of their loved one.

From there is fundamental for the community, in which the different actors in the territory contribute to the search for people reported missing.

Searching for missing persons is fundamental for PEACE.”

CREDHOS tells us:

“The search for missing persons is a challenge that requires the collaboration of all humanity. The union of family members, organizations, communities, institutions and all people is fundamental to build the path towards their location.

People searching for their missing loved ones have the right to be accompanied in this search, and the missing deserve to be found and reunited with their families.

CREDHOS is committed to continue accompanying the families in the search for the disappeared, in favor of the life and dignity of the inhabitants of the Magdalena Medio Region. We believe that this work is a fundamental principle for Peace and for this reason we will continue to cross rivers, swamps, mountains and rocky roads, searching, following the tracks, until we find them.”

The ICMP has highlighted: “According to the Search Unit for Missing Persons (UBPD), the agency established under the Havana Peace Accords to account for those who went missing between 1948 and 2016, 104,602 people had been reported missing and 89,702 were still missing as of March 2023.”

In its Final Report, published in June 2022, the Commission for Truth, Coexistence, and Non-Recurrence found that 121,768 people were victims of forced disappearances in the context of the armed conflict.

Statista has noted that 6,514 people were reported missing in 2021, up from 4,491 in 2020.

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has accompanied the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS) since 1994.

PBI-Kenya expresses solidarity with Uyombo village brutalized by police for opposing a nuclear power plant

By
Brent Patterson
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PBI-Kenya has posted two short video clips along with this text: “We are in Kilifi County in solidarity with the residents of Uyombo village who were brutalized by @NPSOfficial_KE [National Police Service-Kenya] while fighting against the proposed building of a nuclear power plant in their village.”

On July 3, PBI-Kenya also posted: “We met survivors of police brutality from the anti-nuclear plant protest in Uyombo. They shared heartbreaking stories of how @NPSOfficial_KE metre’s violence against them as they sought to be heard. We urge the govt to heed their calls and @IPOA_KE [the Independent Policing Oversight Authority] to investigate the incident.”

And in a series of tweets posted on June 8, PBI-Kenya highlighted:

“The proposed nuclear power plant in Uyombo, Kilifi County has sparked significant concerns from many including @CJGEA [Center for Justice Governance and Environmental Action-Kenya] & @RepInitiative [Right Energy Partnership with Indigenous Peoples]. Uyombo, a small village, is seen as an ideal site due to its proximity to water and low population. But do the benefits outweigh the risks? Environmental activist and 2023 Right Livelihoods Award winner Phyllis Omido spoke to Al Jazeera. She brings up important points to consider… The proposed plant threatens the biodiversity of Uyombo, bordering the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and home to coral reefs, mangroves, and endangered species. The thermal pollution from the plant could severely disrupt these sensitive ecosystems. NuPEA [the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency] has not conducted adequate risk and health impact assessments for the proposed site. Without these assessments, the safety and well-being of the Uyombo community are at serious risk. Without a radioactive waste management policy, Kenya is unprepared to handle the long-term environmental and health risks posed by nuclear waste. This endangers not just Uyombo but the entire country. Past failures, like the Owino-Uhuru lead contamination, highlight the risks of proceeding without a clear framework to manage potential nuclear disasters. Kenya has not ratified the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty, increasing the risk of nuclear weaponry development. The by-products of nuclear reactors could potentially be used to create weapons, causing regional instability.”

Background

The Guardian has reported: “The proposals [for nuclear power plants in Kenya] have sparked fierce opposition in Kilifi. In a building by Mida Creek, a swampy bayou known for its birdlife and mangrove forests, more than a dozen conservation and rights groups meet regularly to discuss the proposed plant.”

The Guardian also notes: “Tensions between anti-nuclear activists and the government are growing. The UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, expressed concern [in this tweet] over police violence against people in Uyombo, a potential plant site, during a protest [on May 21]. Activists said their peaceful protest was met with excessive violence, beatings, arrests and intimidation.”

Right Livelihood further explains: “Police in Uyombo, Kenya, fired 137 live rounds and 70 tear gas canisters near a group of peaceful protestors and arrested two environmental defenders on Tuesday, May 21… Omido, who is at the forefront of efforts to stop the dangerous project and is currently abroad, fears arrest upon her return to Kenya.”

Their article adds: “Protests broke out on Tuesday after work began on the construction of the nuclear reactor. The day before, NuPEA officials installed a seismic station at a secondary school in the village without informing the community. When a woman questioned officials over the move, she was brutalised by police.”

Construction on the nuclear power plant in Uyombo is expected to start in 2027 with it due to be operational in 2034.

We continue to follow this situation.

Mexican megaproject implicated in 226 attacks against community defenders promoted in Spain, Germany, Belgium and the US

By
Brent Patterson
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Video: Margherita Forni of PBI-Mexico (in green vest) speaks (starting at 35:26) at the observation mission media conference, July 27, 2023.

On June 27, El Universal Oaxaca reported: “The Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) project has been developed in Oaxaca through authoritarian methods that include cases of disappearance and forced displacement of indigenous communities, as well as a total of 226 attacks on community defenders including women and children, reveals the report of the Civilian International Observation Mission.”

The Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project is one of the 23 organizations that took part in the Observation Mission of July 25-27, 2023.

Educa Oaxaca, that was also part of the Observation Mission, specifies: “From May 1, 2021, to May 1, 2024, a total of 72 attacks were recorded, in which at least 226 various attacks were perpetrated against defenders.”

Significantly, the Mexican State is linked to “94 occasions out of the 72 documented attacks, with a permanent and leading presence of the Army, Navy and National Guard in the indigenous territories of the Isthmus.”

Pagina 3 adds: “At a press conference [that was held on June 27, 2024], members of the Observation Mission said that 92% of the victims of human rights belong to an indigenous people. In this context, the Mixe (Ayuujk) and Zapotec (Binnizá) peoples faced a greater number of aggressions against them.”

Further reading: On May 14, 2024, a federal judge in Mexico revoked a 46+ year prison sentence against Indigenous Binnizá land defender David Hernández Salazar, an opponent of the Interoceanic Corridor.

Now, Avispa Midia reports that the Interoceanic Corridor megaproject was promoted by Mexican officials who visited Washington, DC in June 2024 and Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Spain in May 2024.

Avispa highlights: “In these places, working meetings were held with members of the European Union, the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the European Commission, as well as representatives of governments, industrial sectors and investment conglomerates.”

The article further notes: “Transnational corporations have also been targeted by the Mexican government’s actions. The Ministry of Economy reported that it initiated, since May 8, 2023, a round of actions to promote the corridor. At least 330 companies from 23 countries were hit by these actions, including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.”

Canadian connections to the megaproject

The Interoceanic Corridor is a megaproject that has been described by a proponent as including “two deep sea ports, railroads, highways, three airports (Minatitlán, Ixtepec and Huatulco), a gas pipeline and a fiber optic network.”

That pipeline appears to be the Jaltipan-Salina Cruz Gas Pipeline Expansion (Interoceanic Corridor Gas Pipeline). Calgary-based TC Energy is building the Puerta del Sureste/ Southeast Gateway pipeline that will connect to Jáltipan-Salina Cruz Gas Pipeline to transport gas across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the proposed Salina Cruz LNG export terminal.

The Toronto-headquartered Royal Bank of Canada and other Canadian banks are financing the US company Sempra Energy that through its Mexican subsidiary Sempra Infraestructura -a partner of TC Energy- that will develop that LNG terminal in Salina Cruz that would export gas to Europe and Asia.

And the Calgary-based railway company CPKC (formerly the Canadian Pacific Railway) has been approached by the Mexican government to participate in the interoceanic megaproject. Mexican president Lopez Obrador met with CPKC executives on May 5, 2023, in Mexico City to incorporate the company into the Tehuantepec isthmus rail corridor between Oaxaca and Veracruz states, the Maya Train, and the Mexico City-Querétaro high-speed train.

We continue to follow the findings of the Observation Mission, the concerns about attacks against community defenders, and the role of Canada in this.

Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners raises concerns about UNDMO eviction in Barranquilla

By
Brent Patterson
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The Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP) has posted a series of tweets that begins with:

“ALERT #Now we denounce eviction in Altos de Pinar del Río #Barranquilla by @alcaldiabquilla [Mayor’s Office of Barranquilla] led by @SecGobiernoBaq [the District Secretariat of Government of Barranquilla] and @PoliciaBquilla [Barranquilla Metropolitan Police] (UNDMO and other law enforcement units). There are indiscriminate aggressions against elderly people and children.”

The CSPP adds:

“We met defenders from @DefenderLibertad and @comite_CSPP however we have not been able to continue to the site due to the confrontation. Gas has been thrown inside the houses and multiple gunshots have been heard.”

La Libertad reports:

“In a controversial action that has generated outrage in the community of Altos del Río, police personnel, accompanied by the Dialogue and Maintenance of Order Unit (UNDMO) and authorities of the District of Barranquilla, proceeded to evict homes using yellow machinery, without prior notice to residents.

According to testimonies of those affected, including women, children and the elderly, the eviction began without mediating with the community, causing an atmosphere of tension and fear. The community denounces that shots were fired during the operation and that several of its members, including women and men, were beaten by the uniformed officers.

“We are asking for the urgent presence of the Ombudsman’s Office to intervene and mediate in this situation,” said a resident who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. In addition, they request the intervention of delegates from the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), due to the abuse suffered by minors and the elderly present during the eviction.

The eviction has left the community of Altos del Río in a state of vulnerability, with displaced families and uncertainty about their immediate future.

So far, local authorities have not issued an official statement about the incident or the allegations of police abuse.

It is expected that in the next few hours more details about this situation will be known and measures will be taken to protect the rights of those affected and ensure a fair and equitable resolution of the conflict.”

We will continue to follow this.

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has accompanied the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP) since 1998.

PBI-Honduras meets with Women’s Movement for Peace ‘Visitación Padilla’ to discuss Purple Alert Law on missing women

By
Brent Patterson
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PBI-Honduras has posted:

“We recently met with the Women’s Movement for Peace ‘Visitación Padilla’ (Las Chonas HN). They shared with us about the proposed ‘Purple Alert Law for Disappeared Women’, submitted to the National Congress for approval. This has been worked on by different feminist organizations, including Visitación Padilla, and seeks to prevent the disappearances of girls, adolescents and women in Honduras.

PBI is concerned about the levels of violence against women in the country. We highlight the efforts and commitment of feminist organizations and Honduran women in the search for a world free of violence for them.”

The organization PBI-Honduras met with is named after Visitación Padilla (1882-1960), who is described as “teacher, anti-imperialist and defender of women’s rights” who “denounced the invasion of U.S. Marines and founded the National Culture group, achieving in 1926 the establishment of Mother’s Day.”

The Spanish news agency EFE reports: “The Inter-Institutional Commission for Follow-up on Investigations of Violent Deaths of Women and Femicides in Honduras presented on Wednesday [July 3] a bill for the search for missing women, in a country where around 120 have disappeared this year.”

That article adds: “According to official figures, around 2,100 women disappeared between 2018 and 2023 in Honduras.”

It further explains: “The bill contemplates the creation of a Prosecutor’s Office for Disappeared Persons and a National System for the Search of Disappeared Women, which will be made up of authorities, community organizations, feminists and family members, she [Suyapa Martinez, director of the non-governmental Center for Women’s Studies/CDM] said.”

And Criterio.hn notes: “The Purple Alert Law provides for the creation of a National Commission for the Search for Disappeared Women, made up of women’s organizations and state institutions, as well as a Committee of Relatives of Disappeared Women.”

It adds: “Women’s and feminist organizations hope that the aforementioned law will be a crucial tool to prevent and eradicate gender violence, with special attention to femicides.”

Notably it also mentions: “[Eva Sánchez of the grassroots, feminist organization Las Hormigas], expressed her concern that the Lenca indigenous territory has been hit with the disappearance of people, mainly women and girls. She explained that, in the last two years, at least six cases have been reported, of which to date there is no information.”

We will continue to follow this.

21 Canadian companies implicated in 88 attacks against human rights defenders over the past nine years

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo: Several land and territory defenders in the community of Azacualpa, Honduras, were arbitrarily detained on May 11, 2019, when protesting the mining company Minerales de Occidente, a subsidiary of Aura Minerals.

A preliminary review of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRCC) database finds that 21 Canadian companies are implicated in 88 attacks against human rights defenders over the last nine years. Those findings include:

TC Energy (formerly TransCanada Energy) = 17 attacks

Aura Minerals = 11 attacks

First Quantum Minerals = 9 attacks

Frontera Energy = 8 attacks

Tahoe Resources (now Pan American Silver) = 7 attacks

Torex Gold Resources = 6 attacks

Hudbay Minerals = 6 attacks

Teck Resources = 5 attacks

Fortuna Silver = 2 attacks

Brookfield Asset Management = 2 attacks

Almaden Minerals = 2 attacks

Gran Colombia Gold = 2 attacks

Barrick Gold = 2 attacks

PetroTal = 2 attacks

Goldex Resources Corp. = 1 attack

Alamos Gold = 1 attack

Miranda Gold = 1 attack

Pacific Rim Mining = 1 attack

MAG Silver = 1 attack

B2Gold = 1 attack

Baru Gold = 1 attack

The BHRRC defines an attack as including surveillance, arbitrary detention, intimidation and threats, beatings and violence, and killings.

Additionally, The Globe and Mail recently reported: ‘[The office of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders] has registered 15 cases, between June, 2019, and March, 2022, of retaliation against human-rights advocates that [Mary Lawlor] alleges can be linked to the activities of Canadian mining abroad.”

That newspaper report adds: “She singled out Canadian embassies, saying many have failed to respond adequately to those who raise serious concerns about the impacts of mining and oil activities abroad. Canada introduced ‘Voices at Risk’ guidelines in 2019, aimed at supporting human-rights defenders and giving advice to Canadian diplomats working overseas, but she says it hasn’t been properly implemented.”

The information above is only preliminary research, we will continue to utilize the BHRRC database and other resources to understand this situation more fully and to make recommendations to improve the security situation for human rights defenders.

—

On January 13, 2021, PBI-Mexico posted: “14 human rights defenders were extrajudicially executed in 2020.”

One of those listed in the Comité Cerezo report is Oscar Ontiveros Martinez. MiningWatch Canada has noted: “Ontiveros Martínez’ assassination has been connected with his involvement in a 2017 strike involving about 600 workers who sought to change unions, a struggle that has led to at least three murders and one disappearance to date.” For additional context: Torex Gold Resources Inc. – Freedom of association and threats of violence/death (Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, February 14, 2023).

—

Further reading: The “Canada Brand”: Violence and Canadian Mining Companies in Latin America and Human Rights Abuses by Canadian-Owned Mining Operations Abroad.

PBI-Mexico accompanies the 4th Consultation Forum in Sonora for the Strengthening of Protection for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists

By
Brent Patterson
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PBI-Mexico has posted: “Last Saturday [July 6] we were accompanying the 4th Consultation Forum in Sonora for the Strengthening of the Protection of Defenders of #HumanRights and Journalists organized by the @IniSinaloa [Initiative Sinaloa, a non-profit civil organization that works in defence of human rights].”

Iniciativa Sinaloa also posted:”4th Consultation Forum for Strengthening the Protection of Defenders of #HumanRights and #Journalists of the State of #Sonora.”

The killing of journalists and defenders

The Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) has recorded 88 killings of journalists and media workers in Mexico between 2012 and March 2024. It has verified that 37 of them were murdered in relation to their work. Seven of those killed were in Sonora.

For 2022, they noted: “In Mexico, CPJ documented a total of 13 journalists killed, the highest-ever number in a single year. In three of those cases, journalists were murdered in retaliation for their reporting on crime and politics, and had received threats prior to their deaths. CPJ is investigating the motives for the 10 other killings, but in a country characterized by violence and impunity, it is notoriously difficult to confirm whether journalists were killed because of their work.”

Front Line Defenders has reported that 45 human rights defenders were killed in Mexico in 2022, while Global Witness further highlights that 31 land and environmental defenders were killed in Mexico that year.

Mexico News Daily has also reported: “A report released [in March 2024] by the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) … found 20 lethal attacks against environmental activists in 2023.” One of those lethal attacks was against 31-year-old botanist Gabriel Trujillo on June 30 in Sonora while working on his thesis.

“Notable deficiencies and concerning failures”

PBI-Mexico has previously explained that a Protection Mechanism was created for journalists in Autumn 2010. By June 2012, the Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists came into effect. That law obliges both federal and state authorities to protect the rights of journalists and human rights defenders.

In March 2020, PBI-Mexico commented “the Mechanism continues to demonstrate notable deficiencies and concerning failures.”

The year before that, PBI also highlighted: “The Mechanism can’t possibly address its shortcomings with its current budget and staffing levels. Providing additional funding would be the first step the Mexican government can take to ensure the Mechanism has the resources necessary to manage its rapidly growing caseload.”

In March 2024, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists noted: “Eight journalists have been killed while enrolled in Mexico’s Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists in the last seven years, a figure that highlights the urgent need to strengthen and reform the institution.”

For more, please see the report Turning the Tide on Impunity: Protection and Access to Justice for Journalists and Human Rights Defenders in Mexico (March 2019).

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