[News] In Memoriam: 28 Indigenous Rights Defenders Murdered in Latin America in 2019
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news at freedomarchives.org
Thu Jan 30 15:24:41 EST 2020
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/memoriam-28-indigenous-rights-defenders-murdered-latin-america-2019
In Memoriam: 28 Indigenous Rights Defenders Murdered in Latin America
in 2019
January 28, 2020
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As we enter 2020, Cultural Survival remembers 28 courageous Indigenous
human rights and environmental defenders who were murdered in 2019 in
the Latin American countries where we do our work. We invite you to
take a moment to learn about and support the human rights and
environmental defense work being carried out by these individuals that
likely led to their targeting.
Attacks against Indigenous human rights defenders have shown an alarming
surge over the past three years. UN Special Rapporteur Vicky Tauli
Corpuz has called this trend a “global crisis," denouncing persistent
impunity against those who commit these crimes. Of this list, only one
of 28 murders have been investigated conclusively and perpetrators
brought to justice.
We acknowledge that this list is not exhaustive. Due to marginalization
and discrimination by authorities, unequal access to justice, language
barriers, and the lack of coverage by mainstream media, there are many
acts of violence against Indigenous Peoples around the world that go
unreported.
Please join us in celebrating the legacies of these defenders who gave
their lives in pursuit of a better world.
*Óscar Cazorla (Zapotec) - MEXICO*
Óscar Cazorla (Zapotec) - MEXICO On February 9, 2019, Óscar Cazorla
(62), _was found murdered
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/zapotec-advocate-muxe-and-lgbtq-rights-murdered-mexico>_
in his home in Juchitán de Zaragoza, Oaxaca, Mexico. Cazorla was a
Zapotec activist and an advocate for Muxe and LGBTQIA rights. He
self-identified as Muxe, a non-binary third gender originating within
Zapotec culture in the region of Istmo de Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Muxes live throughout the Istmo de Tehuantepec region, however, Juchitán
is historically regarded as a safe haven for Muxe culture and
self-expression. However, while Muxes are both inherent and revered
members of Zapotec culture, they still confront nonacceptance and
persecution from those opposed to gender diversity and nonconformity to
a binary structure of gender. Óscar Cazorla fought to maintain and and
raise awareness of Muxe culture. He was a founding member of _Las
Auténticas Intrépidas Buscadoras del Peligro
<https://www.lasintrepidas.com/>_ or “The Authentic Intrepid Seekers of
Danger,” a Muxe-run group created in 1976 to foster solidarity amongst
the Muxe community and celebrate sexual diversity. As an Indigenous
person, a human rights activist, and member of the LGBTQIA community,
Óscar Cazorla existed in an intersection of targeted identities.
Indigenous Peoples, human rights activists, environmental defenders, and
members of the LGBTQIA community remain targets of hate crime both
within Mexico and throughout the globe. In _July 2019
<https://www.lajornadamaya.mx/2019-07-01/Familia-de-activista-muxe-asesinado-exige-justicia>_,
supporters and relatives of Óscar continued demanding that the Fiscalía
General de Justicia del Estado de Oaxaca (FGJEO) bring Cazorla’s death
justice, but the murder remains unresolved.
Photo: _Miho Hagino/Facebook
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/zapotec-advocate-muxe-and-lgbtq-rights-murdered-mexico>_
*Saturnino Ramírez Interiano (May**a Ch’orti’) **Guatemala*
Saturnino Ramírez Interiano (Maya Ch’orti’) GuatemalaMaya Ch'orti'
linguist Saturnino Ramírez Interiano
_was
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/mayan-language-activist-murdered-guatemala-two-months-celebration-international-year>assassinated
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/mayan-language-activist-murdered-guatemala-two-months-celebration-international-year>_
in Chiquimula, Guatemala on February 13, 2019. He was a linguist,
educator, and active proponent of the history and culture of the
Indigenous Ch’orti’ Peoples. Saturnino Ramírez Interiano worked for over
10 years as a director at the Academy of Mayan Languages of Guatemala in
Chiquimula, Guatemala. The Ch’orti’ are an Indigenous Peoples that
reside in the Chiquimula and Zacapa departments of Guatemala and in
bordering communities in Honduras. They have suffered from a
_history
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/chorti-peoples-guatemala-lead-battle-reclaim-their-lands>_
of colonization, persecution, land loss, and political discrimination.
As an advocate for Ch’orti’ culture, Saturnino Ramírez Interiano
frequently traveled throughout the Ch’orti’ region to teach classes on
the Ch’orti’ language and history. A colleague and professor at the
Academy,
_Petronilo Pérez López
<https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/chiquimula/matan-a-director-de-academia-de-lenguas-mayas/>_
, declared: “We worked together for a long time, committed to the rescue
of the Chortí language and culture. He always fought so that the
community leaders of the region would not let this valuable ancestral
tool – one which identifies us – die. We were great companions and his
death hurts me. The Chortí region is in mourning.” Ramírez Interanio’s
death continues to shake his community. Police have failed to make
progress in investigating the crime.
Photo:
_Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/Culturaylenguamaya/photos/basw.Abrhg1LVmPg3f34Ys05O7ATTg-84M0JCB1plw6hezFmwCtlpWWNg0BEO2rTkKATW1fLiAcgVuVvNZCRztUVIGz39OT1I6Pk8qN6RcW_GG1mwdMbtM0oOooKhd31g___jb53fbgRjXksvLbnyOMYlGvYm2T0dpyabnXyGMcil-m53ymcnRTtPqacNGxsBybkL4rQ.2318308514897194.352475792013200.808253989526148.2102690663152864.2053396714714546.2333326823353648.1167366220090055.1060119047493692.2205445563039302/2318308514897194/?type=1&opaqueCursor=AbqZ1RnbK-NmAjzB70jZeZDJLndrBio3mMf8NPgomG8aVkZFCvr3ygKHi2AB3BDR5P_hfOJVhENNRFHPTorGV0SLr8ZEF_x51_74mAV6DoaZNFj43zJDZ5MyhKrrWnrvJbG7Ht5Kk2sPN4r5nfqAvv1LiAUziGTpmyodkHB584G4VDZOAX0rAYAU0cgPt0w4Tj_SMEm2PHnM_mwfF73joI3dO2_gyORGXMAhRZzFGy85u6NQcapJmY6rOhDsLyvrfUjRucYyuEYqcitXWWphyebyAYTNilD6OSZ6OcpOh4Rl36pLEQ0AekEolQblgLVBkflObo6Ezmh3x7fhvH1PVxq8ITM9jXSed4VC1XbY6iKFowJEKrVYiCQjQFBponi1jX4KiIlQA2hruCECzyW29xR2bt7OC0hIAMKeJTlicv7XUV0-MGuqQtQsP4h5329j-xwJF2VB_p7Kj1oM-PVyo9pQ0VIiSORs1znwY-9-rhr3KNQP3As3PNZQTmHO7NuYnjiY2Qx87w0RdxbINcjsDhsMn4yEjBXtkyck8ZreiZrVXUsmu_ZJaF89F7ixZHVXSy2e_7LsKRtQca25hiwJ5lRKpyBHU2qwUEQO-oFxtXptxPzx4X0wlWd0ddaqM91iHT1q4040fU-us-vx5vTiChvLh_29nZO4OWN8hJs2l1Ka7yeDhMQpMtATHtp64KMccD9HUz84WjvzfU-Vd1j4vbAH755eXrNgevFlGnVMdveVexICSnb1B8nApPkp6660Pg0&theater>_
*Sergio Rojas (Bribri)- COSTA RICA*
Sergio Rojas (Bribri)- COSTA RICAOn the evening of March 18, 2019,
Indigenous leader _Sergio Rojas Ortiz
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/costa-rica-must-implement-land-rights-indigenous-peoples-wake-leaders-murder>_
was assassinated in his residence in Salitre de Buenos Aires, part of
the Puntarenas province, after being shot multiple times. Rojas was a
member of the Uniwak clan, part of the Bribri community, one of the
eight Indigenous Peoples that are recognized in Costa Rica. A well-known
Indigenous leader in the region, Rojas Ortiz was a member of the
National Front of Indigenous Peoples (Frente Nacional de Pueblos
Indígenas - FRENAPI), the Council for the Defenders of Mother Earth
(Autoridades Propias Defensoras de la Madre Tierra), and the Association
for the Development of the Salitre People (Asociación para el Desarrollo
del Pueblo de Salitre). He worked tirelessly to implement Indigenous
land rights in Costa Rica, advocating for the removal of unauthorized
settlers on Indigenous-titled lands. The crime occurred only hours
after Rojas Ortiz, along with two neighbors, went_to the state
prosecutor to report a series of threats
<https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/sergio-rojas-ortiz-leader-of-costa-ricas-indigenous-bribri-slain-by-gunmen/>_
that members of the Salitre community had received regarding a land
dispute over Indigenous territories. After the murder, Costa Rican
president Carlos Alvarado Quesada _condemned
<http://indigenouspolicy.org/index.php/ipj/article/view/599/612>_ the
crime, stating: “A tragic day for the Bribri People, for all our
Indigenous communities, and for all of Costa Rica.” Costa Rica has
created a _specialized investigative unit_
<https://www.informa-tico.com/28-08-2019/proponen-comision-independiente-investigue-asesinato-sergio-rojas>
in order to pursue the crime, but aside from releasing a sketch of two
suspects, work being carried out by this unit, if any, has been kept
tightly under wraps and as of July 2019 no recent news has been released.
In October 2018, Cultural Survival submitted
a_<https://www.upr-info.org/es/upr-process/what-is-it>_report on human
rights violations against Indigenous Peoples in Costa Rica to the UN
Human Rights Council via _Universal Periodic Review
<https://www.upr-info.org/es/upr-process/what-is-it>_, which
specifically urged authorities to improve security measures for the
people of Salitre, Rojas’ home village. Five months after submitting
this report, Sergio Rojas was killed. This prompted Cultural Survival to
take further action; in April 2019, _Cultural Survival
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/pressure-mounts-indigenous-rights-costa-rica>_attended
the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and met with the
Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the UN to urge for immediate
investigations into the asassination of Sergio Rojas inquire on progress
to secure Indigenous territorial autonomy.
Photo: _Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/unacostarica/photos/basw.AbqT-U4fDHMJ3u0Efi3IcEsCZyH2alal7bU5PYzFHlrEKWg3fQJfp-pnVhxaul8CDU1pzU7GYF857vaR99nkAXCg9WE0bn9pOa5rfQ2cYebXR2mROMirSzXwgsPqs7THyXrrMbAhmBCwC_ptZvfwQtdJSmYYKNXPvOt2M6vb2ijHKg.2642227125848108.2503738893029482.2150551258393011.2089963834406327.785660295134484.2121909777891528.10157273112508980.10157197394278980.2235374989842593/2089963834406327/?type=1&opaqueCursor=AboCni21vEJ4IP_icEUTRJ8iLBkhCMh6hvqC2Rd2dmdvED7yt-706IbIFRYEnbKZ0VYWM9xqzFAhahfFXRAtD8SUyyD-J3ePLuVE3KbpLkdu17Eupv3Uq_NFmVCmDmaD_gV7PzitS2YXC81K-t2kxH43YUOa7b0irRpll7LR4b-4J8Bcx_rcNQip7av1TaMEFfSYbb4iEG_ULiKkv3iAW1_xxC2yzzpBpZXg7RlENPe0YJxjspmI3DGYPH9miKCYa9a9vnAvWoGZGL6tOvHM0V6m7QNHQZ6XyJffz7zJ1Hpqwp4JC9eu5D0F_lYslLsL0B5x7JPSYIU8BpYK7Hcie_uCqsbCqiHWrMvyVrl0Wg6wxBsCQCvQ7zicCdTlKsNX5nJBPmIFC9aUxbaF9SaI1frMiQWsq3-ZIRFv-7gFfAN_Ad3vU5Zmx6QRn2BAdvVlTaE-0cExzS3NVmAb3Bf2gkOOGyK7D9VKgcRXLjTVAkeM5nm2AkIxQGrrfJCxrwUjke0lRIhr5xz1P3QEMj6nN74Pg6Xm89Zbf2b9rNvWebQGdaJwh-7rsb8EV_sBqqrzr7yJVZLelif-qE-R3EYGADMePVgg9Z4MZ3_pmP1a5WMMGkFnQqS_c_OANu1HUbZn5BbSR4EGXMNyioxutJxCAb9qmEx8cqEavPh39pDKrIQyP4jCYcj9LqwVjmdH_-f3kfOOfFDJbTqeDujzDzjDjsgD&theater>_
*Cristian Javá Ríos (Urarina), PERU*
Cristian Javá Ríos (Urarina), PERUOn April 17, 2019, in the Peruvian
Amazon, Cristian Javá Ríos (20) _was killed in a gang-organized ambush ,
motivated to sabotage pipelines transporting oil across the region.
<https://www.religiondigital.org/luis_miguel_modino-_misionero_en_brasil/Defensor-ambiental-indigena-asesinado-Amazonia_7_2113958599.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook>_
For years, Peru’s northern Amazon has been subjected to oil spills and
the releasing of billions of barrels of toxic waste, at the hands of
Argentinian Pluspetrol and the China National Petroleum Corporation. The
Urarina along with other Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon are
constantly under _threat
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/andes-to-the-amazon/2017/aug/03/us1-billion-oil-perus-amazon>_
due to these degrading oil activities, which have caused health
epidemics, pollution, economic dependency and land violations, including
the destruction of forests and spiritual sites. Javá Ríos fought
adamantly to defend his land, despite unstable and precarious
circumstances. There is a continued need to mitigate violence and
aggression in this region, which harm the lives of Indigenous Peoples,
their environment, and their surrounding ecology. Those accused of
murdering Javá Ríos and injuring other members of the community were
reported to authorities, but no further investigation has unfolded. Soon
after Javá Ríos’ murder, however, the Ministry of Justice and Human
Rights in Peru passed _a Protocol that prioritizes and safeguards human
rights defenders
<https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/es/statement-report/killing-human-rights-defenders-strengthens-call-public-policy-their-protection>_,
but it is one of many steps remaining to be taken in order to guarantee
safety of Indigenous Peoples in Peru.
Photo: _Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/Etnoterra/photos/basw.Abou4EsiTEeehVBKGrItDbbug2Y8v1DWwBy-iadmoyofj6eeIi7m8B7_8r6uZDQIRUCzr506HDIvWYE3hU3TK_kikn9SbAC_ZvV_OaXsi0MY5MlblykKBtz99any9GWNrfPB-NK8sJ8KLB3uj0DFng1IYyiwAeA7QymHgV5Xl-0pPwvwDQOa4NHm1TeS1db1B1g.2187628317998613.2355629371151644.2170182653094998.324417998132655.2271449176231570.2613183138715271.725268581222272.10157623590809095.2439388766095830/2187628317998613/?type=1&opaqueCursor=AbrM48NmvnEqTNZyWTDywKX67tey9Bk9ITt_k-JFHGu6qMbiNWmXlq_mJ7Vmaju6FJaRnqUpTu3x8g_LKCqQHBfr8CG5rDg_Qv07TLYcSKGXq1q0PxJX1XOOBzGVjN8CqBg6aRpX5dTNzDaBhJIIfRhE0daND4DKDOBjAF38FUoPAmadMakjoMoVR8ej61iQN3H-ws2g0ohQB7jfxUOA3FFjMOluqXveTAyrfiJ3FMWEKup2QkUNG0VdKDb-3w5HasKx28gPLfOkLTvas0b6lEUEdimzHj3bBe9brswE3o8q5U5ruDp1a1TNSpFgeEX3vPNSRqfSB08C_ahRrzrQrweIwmnr4Ibr4zBDlEWQXDzc02rOtssypu3DIz8e69a_YuY6iIBFiDheyZMO2scwneQf_-mLMrAyW4H7emzoo7am4vab088rfEkm8dwpkxFsig1kOjgtPxC98Jtwb-vl-YHIC9OfQ9gAaWd5ONRl8duwa7v-RxxcIzaNtu86RnEvk-FD0woE0EpfmW5Vml--f98SJnBu0DQme_yxI5fLK9qFI8RVFaaBOB6sCslKrnmEqgFVWRyN_G5HXRGbXvWN_zxJjfsQxccczNcNP6r1zgAcDTRQEEfvTIYx1ary9qYPWkVvWMw_3IZi9Tz7cnQta84aVXschk1elXrfT50F1MUTxfMdRJ9sHoXDnRgMC23wTiqdo08q8E3tFquUCr3jyywq75tMr9DbFmgweJ3pVuSuKt3JOG-VAr38zwYY79W_gqk&theater>_
* José Alfredo Hernandez (Nahuat Pipil) - EL SALVADOR*
José Alfredo Hernandez was _killed
<https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/call-for-investigation-of-human-rights-violations-and-violence-against-indigenous-peoples-of-el-salvador>_
in the service of protecting his sister-in-law, Indigenous activist
Margot Perez.
Reports reveal that the military police in Nahuizalco harassed Alfredo
Hernandez after Perez fled her community of Nahuizalco with threats
against her life. When he did not submit to police – blackmailing him to
reveal Margot’s whereabouts – Alfredo Hernandez was shot five times
allegedly by military police and died immediately after, on May 3, 2019.
His legacy is the continued human rights work that his sister-in-law has
been able to dedicate her life to, including the promotion of the right
to Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Indigenous communities, the
implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples. She also has urged the El Salvadoran government to
halt criminal organizations that have flourished unchecked while
detrimentally impacting Indigenous youth and their academic, social,
and physical potential. As the president of the _Nahuat Pipil Native
Peoples Council of Nahuizalco
<https://www.facebook.com/PueblosIndigenasElSalvador/photos/a.712680545500538/805656202869638/?type=1&theater>_
(Consejo de Pueblos Originarios Nahuat Pipil de Nahuizalco), Margot
Perez’s courageous advocacy has continued to put her life in jeopardy.
An_open letter
<https://www.ubcic.bc.ca/condemns_the_reprehensible_persecution_of_margot_p_rez>_,
written by the The Union of BC Indian Chiefs and addressed to the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, demanded
justice and expressed solidarity for the people of El Salvador: Alfredo
Hernandez’s death remains unsolved and Margot Perez is still in hiding.
*Otilia Martínez Cruz and Gregorio Chaparro Cruz (Rarámuri) - MEXICO*
On the outskirts of Chihuahua and Sinaloa, Mexico, Otilia Martínez Cruz
(60) and her son Gregorio Chaparro Cruz (20) were _murdered outside
their home on May 3
<https://www.jornada.com.mx/2019/05/04/estados/024n1est>_, 2019. The
mother and son, belonging to the Rarámuri Indigenous Peoples, resonated
with their community as powerful defenders of surrounding forests and
advocates for environmental justice. Additionally, they were relatives
of_Julián Carrillo Martínez
<https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/11/la-mortal-defensa-del-bosque-por-julian-carrillo/>_,
an Indigenous leader and protector of the Coloradas de la Virgen Forest
located in Chihuahua, Mexico. Despite being protected under the Federal
Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders,
Carrillo Martínez was killed in October 2018 by illegal loggers.
Speculations pertaining to the motive behind the recent murders of
Otilia Martínez Cruz and Gregorio Chaparro Cruz believe their
relationship to Julián Carrillo Martínez is a fundamental component.
According to investigations, three gunmen affiliated with a criminal
group “/Los Chorohuis” /broke into the home and and fatally inflicted
both mother and son with_multiple bullet wounds
<https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/otilia-martinez-cruz/>_. A witness
recognized one alleged murderer, _Ramón Muela Loera
<https://raichali.com/2019/05/02/asesinan-a-mujer-e-hijo-en-coloradas-de-la-virgen-tierra-de-homicidios-de-defensores-del-territorio/>_,
but no updates have been released ascertaining the whereabouts nor
convictions of the suspects.
* José Lucio Bartolo Faustino and Modesto Verales Sebastián (Nahua) MEXICO*
José Lucio Bartolo Faustino and Modesto Verales Sebastián (Nahua)
MEXICOOn May 4,2019, both José Lucio Bartolo Faustino and Modesto
Verales Sebstián had attended a meeting with other members of the
_Emiliano Zapata Popular Indigenous Council of Guerrero
<https://m.aristeguinoticias.com/0505/mexico/matan-a-dos-integrantes-del-congreso-nacional-indigena-en-guerrero/?fbclid=IwAR2qk27bo7wouSzoS4VjkR46hxrZAnuGkEafPr1oo5FjSSpd9Rt8yNLulXs>_(CIPOG-EZ),
a partner organization under the National Indigenous Congress and
Indigenous Governing Council. On their way back home from the meeting in
Chilpancingo, Guerrero, _both were kidnapped and murdered by
narco-paramilitary groups
<http://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/2019/05/05/communique-from-the-cni-cig-and-the-ezln-on-the-cowardly-kidnapping-and-murder-of-companeros-from-the-emiliano-zapata-popular-indigenous-council-of-guerrero-2/>_.
These criminal groups are protected under complicit arms of the Mexican
government’s marital and police authorities, which inevitably delays
measures seeking justice. For years, community members of these two
victims have strived to develop their own _Community Police
<https://www.amwenglish.com/articles/on-the-murder-of-compa%C3%B1eros-from-the-emiliano-zapata-popular-indigenous-council/>_
to denounce the criminal groups backed by Mexican authorities, but their
rights are continuously repressed and disregarded. Bartolo Faustino and
Verales Sebastián were well-known participants in the Indigenous
Council, defenders of Indigenous territories, cultures, and pivotal
advocates for their Nahua and Mixtec autonomy. Their murder remains
unsolved; the National Indigenous Congress, Indigenous Governing
Council, and Zapatista Army for National Liberation _denounced
<http://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/2019/05/05/communique-from-the-cni-cig-and-the-ezln-on-the-cowardly-kidnapping-and-murder-of-companeros-from-the-emiliano-zapata-popular-indigenous-council-of-guerrero-2/>_
the injustice and demand that the government be held accountable.
Photo: _Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/Congresonacionalindigenamexico/photos/basw.Aboijx9alAyn1ihidIRCaezYYLEF62cMVjaOuP3qPLZ8RxO6lAQkNHtNr-8Nr0blVeLfb4SqHnyD6TI7cbu9-EM0OLbgCdpLvQFgXYVxyb_j4c78lIWsD_zRh4qtHh0Blf6wgcPNK6VBWD8eFVRXI4OiuXM6XXUIYgA6ISGlSJAHZm1olAzOngZs7dOxgzj3BFY.2354545548195573.2269548083361987.1985120704949975.2024874294484045.2270297093287086.2244876259162503.10216776214570747.2246117409038388.2268030310180431/2354545548195573/?type=1&opaqueCursor=AboR0_AHx9X_WCiFkJFMEq_Wo5SPw0fCA3OnQOcgww6z5ToEJKZGOR152kHDfEPSK6C0OBahu7IJNkBZuYuODKMHDfESBYul2Dcn-X86zYEO2g_TY853Gcyki07RXMtMIdZV8Qb2SJNosFKqoJlbajIbwknU89fiGGaHgDSM46itLn7ZzLg-UBs_VHpNIrxglOcioVsikBkKMt7nLJIJGXBIrWDg1oGE2BMgMOmhbx0vjwbSVlL3RgUyMYbvAV1FeR9IS0ZN4YBtb2rANfYr9tSXyCoMjjl3BM_F1d0bJ9BH5nK6FiINv7dj7zEtzJoFZJ817puiH9NDvdB0rPc4MA2fOCpC8wrnhCLsr92KIcpDZLYpt1j4_sanID4E-fwlcY5fbRZu2kPzdnucKNFcIwzeRxUI1fSOTrHTI5zSJVR2yCm7ChOcky_RvDkU6Es_PCRAyZ5MMe5PtRuX08_TTRoZUdCJWURlBXxJMLXEv5A_hZz_aJNh9iH3YMOVHFqReiDJN5OfvH4Ync_7tlLKehvUKauA_jAxXCK3P0eDkjVkvCSrTXWXpYeB1vj1YnNJEz1XK8vNugZWBAcfWiQTH0Oof8ulk3P6pXzBoodPN4RMPZ7yoVgcLaRYeR3tIQeHuxdyUkb1svqoesQafRAa96Bo2Vdbm7VoT_sOicdx-T7gtWRAMACBS3CtKmgBceH87OadzZXuGA7ALqQxYiaBCqTEhko04OcnfSjMlG70_1GfjtPUtY3wzMZOwIzgeW2cO_k&theater>_
* Leonel Díaz Urbano (Nahua), MEXICO*
The fatal shooting of Nahua leader Leonel Díaz Urbano took place on May
9, 2019, while he was sleeping in his home, located in the municipality
of Zacapoaxtla in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Días Urbano protested the
continued construction of a hydroelectric plant in Zacapoaxtla. Run by
the _Hidroeléctrica Gaya SA from Mexico
<https://ejatlas.org/conflict/gaya-hidroelectrica-rioapulco-puebla>_,
backed by governmental actors Semarnat (Mexico’s environmental agency)
and the Federal Commision of Energy (CFE), conflicts have existed for
years near the Apulco River. For decades, there was a relentless
struggle between the Nahua community and Gaya plant; Gaya was
_officially forced to withdraw
<https://www.periodicocentral.mx/2017/municipio/item/3320-la-comunidad-indigena-que-paro-un-proyecto-de-muerte-en-zacapoaxtla>_
its construction plans in 2016, but the legitimacy of its compliance
remain in question and the well-being of Indigenous communities are
forever damaged. Many of its projects had already led to irreversible,
environmental destruction while diverting the riverbed off course. A few
political activists have expressed their grievances for Díaz Urbano.
_Enrique Cárdenas <https://twitter.com/ecardenassan?lang=en>_, a
candidate for a local government position, declared shortly after his
murder that “_the rights of Indigenous Peoples and communities will be
respected and defended under my term.
<https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/asesinan-a-lider-indigena-leonel-diaz-urbano-en-puebla/1312248>_”
Enrique Cárdenas lost the _May 2019 election
<https://www.nacion321.com/elecciones/los-claroscuros-de-los-candidatos-miguel-barbosa-y-enrique-cardenas>_
to Luis Miguel Barbosa, but remains a powerful voice within his
community. Meanwhile, Díaz Urbano’s murder remains unsolved.
*Daniel Rojas (Nasa) COLOMBIA*
Daniel Rojas (Nasa) COLOMBIANorth of Cauca, Colombia, the president of
the Junta de Acción Comunal (JAC) in Caloto, Daniel Rojas (40), was
_murdered at around 8 pm in his home
<http://tierradentro.co/Reportan-el-asesinato-de-Daniel-Rojas-presidente-de-Junta-de-Accion-Comunal-JAC/>_
on May 14, 2019. He was a prominent member of the Indigenous Guard of
López Adentro in Caloto, remembered for his defense of Indigenous land
and agricultural rights. He also encouraged _sports practices
<https://www.contagioradio.com/daniel-rojas-lider-indigena-y-promotor-del-deporte-fue-asesinado-en-cauca/>_,
particularly soccer, among his community’s youth to help unify his
neighbors through sport and culture. Those responsible for the murder
fled afterwards and no further details have been released pertinent to
the fugitives’ escape. However, members of the Nasa community are still
seeking answers, and the _Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern
Cauca
<https://nasaacin.org/asesinado-daniel-rojas-presidente-de-la-jac-vereda-lopez-adentro-resguardo-lopez-adentro-caloto-cauca/>_
stated that the Colombian government’s inaction is one of the primary
reasons for the murder: the situation has occurred within a systematic
pattern of threats and attacks against social and Indigenous leaders
throughout Colombia.
Photo: _Twitter <https://twitter.com/JFColombia/status/1129339624952934406>_
*Jorge Juc Cucul (**Q'eqchi' Maya) - GUATEMALA*
Jorge Juc Cucul was a respected elder and _president
<https://www.prensa.com/mundo/Guatemala-aumenta-defensores-derechos-asesinados_0_5358964051.html>_
of a local chapter of the organization Campesino Development Committee
or Comité de Desarrollo Campesino (CODECA) in Paracaidista de
Livingston, Izabal. He was attacked with a machete by an unknown man on
his property near his home, alongside his eight-year-old son. _As a
CODECA member for 5 years
<https://www.facebook.com/Comunitaria.Prensa/photos/a.571987252919118/2335143853270107/?type=3&theater>_,
Juc Cucul was a frontrunner behind efforts to defend Indigenous
territories and campesino livelihoods, nationalize electrical energy,
respect Mother Earth, and criticize the policies and corruption within
the administration of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales. Juc Cucul’s
murder remains unsolved, as well as other assassinations of Committee
members. His death was_one of ten total murders
<https://twitter.com/GtCodeca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1196540352058015752&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telesurtv.net%2Fnews%2Fguatemala-asesinato-lider-comunitario-angel-guzman-codeca-20191120-0029.html>_
of CODECA members during 2019, an upsurge from 6 in 2018, which had
prompted Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on
the rights of Indigenous Peoples, to _condemn
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/05/23/guatemala-needs-to-do-more-to-stop-the-killings-of-indigenous-activists/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8bd825eebafe>_
the murders in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. The startling, increased
death toll in 2019 revitalizes the need to bring further attention to
the violent and corrupt acts that target Indigenous Peoples.
* Emyra Wajãpi (Wajãpi) - BRAZIL*
Emyra Wajãpi (Wajãpi) - BRAZILA leader of the Wajãpi tribe, Emyra Wajãpi
was _ fatally stabbed on July 23
<https://incendiarynews.com/2019/08/07/brazil-miners-invade-indigenous-land-murder-village-leader/?fbclid=IwAR2cLZUVtGq3lBRXJ-GsVYPjBXHY53NEX-v6ISeKgcfzh2Ybzf73-jSYC5I>_,
2019, in his Brazilian village. Community members reported that a few
dozen armed goldminers, dressed in military fatigues, had raided their
village, threatening and aggressively intruding upon Wajãpi People and
homes. Reports from villagers assert that Emyra Wajãpi was stabbed in
the adjacent woods near his village, and then his corpse was thrown into
a river. Community members, meanwhile, managed to escape to nearby
villages and called for help from federal police. Emyra Wajãpi’s death
epitomizes the inhumane, prejudicial treatment of Indigenous Peoples
under Brazilian President Bolsonaro, and has rallied many Indigenous
rights defenders to further demand change. President Bolsonaro launched
his political platform claiming that Indigenous People _dominate a
majority of profitable land that should be opened up to corporate
industries
<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/27/world/americas/brazil-miners-amapa.html>_.
To this day, police forces and federal agencies designated to protect
Indigenous rights have failed to ascertain more information about Emyra
Wajãpi’s murder. Land invasions in Indigenous villages have skyrocketed
under Bolsonaro’s administration, at the hands of miners, loggers and
farmers. Emyra Wajãpi’s murder sheds light on the increasing numbers of
killed Indigenous leaders in the Brazilian amazon, which has escalated
to a record high in 2019: 10 Indigenous People were murdered, the
highest amount in two decades. Their murders composed _37% of all rural
killings in 2019,
<https://news.mongabay.com/2019/12/murders-of-indigenous-leaders-in-brazil-amazon-hit-highest-level-in-two-decades/>_
a dramatic increase from 7% in 2018. Even more devastating, _while more
than 300 murder cases in the past 10 years, only 14 were brought to
court <https://www.hrw.org/pt/news/2019/09/17/333865>_; many of those
responsible for the crimes were part of illegal logging and
deforestation activities.
Photo: _https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/emyra-wajapi/_
*Kevin Mestizo Coicué and Eugenio Tenorio (Nasa) - COLOMBIA*
In the Indigenous region of Cauca, in the southwest of Colombia, two
Indigenous guards were murdered on August 10, 2019, amidst rising
violence and instability. Kevin Mestizo Coicué and Eugenio Tenorio
served as pivotal Nasa community members. Members of the Indigenous
Guard denounced the bloodshed, _asserting
<https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2019/08/14/indigenas-en-colombia-se-declaran-en-emergencia-por-violencia-contra-sus-pueblos/?fbclid=IwAR0Q00ovyFIYrWhtw7NeBHo-k1OZhcikN2UK2emJ0Mt8mDifIBW8gZkNyDE>_:
“We condemn an act so low, executed by an armed group against these life
guardians who have defended the territory with their batons.” According
to a statement, the attack occurred when the two guards accompanied
participants in a coffee fair in Cauca. As they boarded a bus to the
fair, all were ambushed, killing Mestizo Coicué and Tenorio while
wounding four others. The murderers are linked to one of many armed,
illegal narco-trafficking groups that have crippled the region with
death and have long yet unjustly enjoyed impunity.
*Cristina Bautista - (Nasa) - COLOMBIA*
Cristina Bautista - (Nasa) - COLOMBIANe’h Wesx Authority _Cristina
Bautista
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/cultural-survival-condemns-massacre-indigenous-leaders-colombia>_
and _four members
<https://www.telesurtv.net/news/guardias-indigenas-gobernadora-asesinados-toibio-cauca-colombia-20191029-0036.html>_
of the Nasa Tacueyo Indigenous Reserve – Asdrúbal Cayapu Kiwe Thegna,
Eliodoro Finscue, José Gerardo Soto, and James Wilfredo Soto – were
killed; five other members were wounded during a targeted attack on
October 29, 2019. According to _reports
<https://colombiaplural.com/el-ultimo-recorrido-de-cristina-bautista/>_,
a black vehicle with armed members of the FARC dissident group
"Dagoberto Ramos" _opened fire
<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50233674>_ on Cristina
Bautista and other guards after plowing through a barricade the
community had set up to protect their territory. Bautista was a
traditional leader, social worker, land defender and Indigenous rights
activist. She was also a 2017 Indigenous Fellow of the Office of the
High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. On August 13,
she was filmed making the following speech in Toribio, Resguardo San
Francisco, Cauca, in which she denounced previous murders of Indigenous
guards. She _exclaimed
<https://www.lafm.com.co/judicial/si-nos-quedamos-callados-nos-matan-y-si-hablamos-tambien-entonces-hablamos>_:
"If we stay quiet, they kill us, and if we speak, they kill us too. So,
we speak.” Her murder marked the seventh Indigenous traditional
authority who was been assassinated in Cauca in the month of October
2019 alone. Indigenous organizations in Colombia, including the Regional
Indigenous Council of Colombia (_CRIC
<https://www.cric-colombia.org/portal/denuncia-y-posicion-politica-del-movimiento-indigena-acerca-del-genocidio-que-se-viene-presentando-con-los-pueblos-indigenas/>_)
have been urgently demanding response to this incessant wave of
violence, which they have labelled a genocide. These demands, however,
remain unmet by Colombian authorities; Bautista’s murder and other
casualties are yet to be solved. Her legacy, meanwhile, remains alive,
and Bautista was commemorated as _Colombia Reports’ personality of 2019
<https://colombiareports.com/colombia-reports-personality-of-2019-cristina-bautista-rip/>_.
Photo: _Cristina Bautista/ Facebook_
* Juan Francisco Luna Álvarez (Zenú) - COLOMBIA*
On August 8, 2019, Juan Fransisco Luna Álvarez (60) was _found
assassinated
<https://www.elheraldo.co/cordoba/los-caparros-autores-del-crimen-de-indigena-de-ure-dice-policia-656910>_
near his rural home in the municipality of San José de Uré, Colombia.
Authorities, based on the accounts of some witnessesses, believe the
killers are members of _“Los
<https://www.insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/los-caparrapos/>Caparrapos
<https://www.insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/los-caparrapos/>”
<https://www.insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/los-caparrapos/>_,
an infamous criminal group of the region with ties to drug trafficking.
There is a withstanding reward for anyone who has information on the
whereabouts of those responsible for the crime, but no recent updates
have been released. Luna Álvarez was campesino farmer and member of
the Indigenous Guard of Zenú del Alto San Jorge. Following his murder,
Luna Álvarez’s house was _incinerated
<https://www.wradio.com.co/noticias/regionales/otro-campesino-asesinado-en-el-sur-de-cordoba/20190809/nota/3938477.aspx>_
and his family was forced to flee. A few days after the event,
authorities of the San José de Uré municipality convened _ a security
council
<https://www.elheraldo.co/cordoba/los-caparros-autores-del-crimen-de-indigena-de-ure-dice-policia-656910>_
to discuss additional measures that could mitigate the growing violence
against Indigenous Peoples and campesinos in the region. Fransisco
Luna’s case remains unresolved, and his family still lives in fear of
further retaliation.
* Abraham Domicó (Embera) - COLOMBIA*
An Indigenous member of the Embera Eyábida community, in Tarazá,
Colombia, Abraham Domicó was shot and _murdered
<https://www.onic.org.co/comunicados-onic/3127-asesinan-a-indigena-embera-eyabida-en-taraza-bajo-cauca-antioqueno>_
in his home on August 14, 2019, while his wife and children were also
inside. The family was ambushed by armed men; despite attempts to revive
Abraham, he was pronounced dead before arriving to the local hospital.
Domicó (30), was devoted to agricultural practices and justice, a valued
member of his community, and a loving father of four. Ever since an
_already-fraying 2016 peace agreement
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/08/06/colombias-historic-peace-agreement-with-farc-is-fraying-we-talked-colombians-understand-why/>_
between the Colombian government and its once-largest rebel group,
FARC-EP, there has been a resurgence of violence among Indigenous
communities in Colombia. Following Domicó’s death, The_Indigenous
Organization of Antioquia
<https://www.onic.org.co/comunicados-onic/3127-asesinan-a-indigena-embera-eyabida-en-taraza-bajo-cauca-antioqueno><https://www.onic.org.co/comunicados-onic/3127-asesinan-a-indigena-embera-eyabida-en-taraza-bajo-cauca-antioqueno>_(Organización
Indígena de Antioquia) has called on the United Nations, as well as
other national and international human rights defenders, to prevent the
escalation of armed conflict. Friends and family of Domicó still await
answers.
*Mirna Suazo (Garifuna) - HONDURAS*
Mirna Suazo (Garifuna) - HONDURASMirna Suazo, president of the Masca
Board of Trustees in Honduras, was _murdered
<https://ofraneh.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/repudiamos-asesinato-de-mirna-suazo-presidente-patronato-de-masca/>_
inside her restaurant, “Champa Los Gemelos,” when two hitmen disembarked
their motorcycles and repeatedly shot her on September 8, 2019. Suazo
had already informed the police that she had received anonymous death
threats, yet no further investigation nor protection was implemented.
Suazo was one of four other victims of the Masca Community killed in
September, many associated with land tenure and management. As
president, she expressed her frustrations in a _video
<https://www.facebook.com/MovAmplioHn/videos/649451825580409/?v=649451825580409>_
that reflects the corruption – both economic and political – that
threatened her safety. In the video, she repeatedly asserts that while
some of her colleagues are personally exploiting their town’s fiscal and
environmental resources: “I am not working for personal gain, I am
working for the community. We stay here and we keep fighting for this
town.” She adamantly rejected the installations of two hydroelectric
plants on the Masca river, both of which were included in and sponsored
by the United Nations _MDG Carbon Facility
<https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/environment-energy/climate_change/mitigation/mdg-carbon-facility-brochure.html>_
_without Free, Prior, and Informed Consent
<https://honduras.oxfam.org/blog/deber-consulta-previa-en-Honduras>_.
Her death has heightened calls for justice, especially by the Honduran
Black Fraternal Organization (Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña,
_OFRANEH
<https://ofraneh.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/repudiamos-asesinato-de-mirna-suazo-presidente-patronato-de-masca/>_)
which reminds both the national and international community that in
Honduras there has been unstoppable waves of violence and homicides in
recent years, but 92% of criminal cases remain in impunity. Suazo’s case
is one of them.
Photo: _Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/MovAmplioHn/videos/649451825580409/>_
*Paulina Cruz Ruiz (Maya Achi) - GUATEMALA*
Paulina Cruz Ruiz (Maya Achi) - GUATEMALAPaulina Cruz Ruiz (58), member
of the Autoridad Ancestral de Maya Achi from Rabinal, Baja Verapaz,
Guatemala _was shot a mere 100 meters from her home
<http://im-defensoras.org/2019/09/alertadefensoras-guatemala-asesinan-a-paulina-cruz-ruiz-defensora-del-territorio-y-autoridad-ancestral-maya-achi-de-rabinal-baja-verapaz/?fbclid=IwAR2OOf36fj4jZ5VI5C0DbPRXAEPYwBNm_a2-DVCE63rHlS4D_3GYyOFWPQ>_
on September 14, 2019. Her husband was also wounded and spent time in
the hospital. Cruz Ruiz was an active organizer in her community,
especially for the “March for Dignity” which took place a year prior to
her death. She was also dedicated to defending women’s rights. Alongside
other members of the Autoridad Ancestral, Cruz Ruiz interposed legal
action in opposition to threats to her community’s land. The Maya Achi
People have long suffered from the environmental consequences of the
_Chixoy Dam <https://www.internationalrivers.org/blogs/233-0>_, funded
by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development bank and built by
the Guatemalan government in 1985. Even years later, agreements to
repair damages have stalled. In January 2014, the US Congress finally
ordered the Banks to implement the Chixoy Reparations Plan of 2010, but
improvements are slowly gaining traction and the Maya Achi lives will
never be fully restored. After Cruz Ruiz’s recent death, her community
called upon the Guatemalan government to expedite an investigation
process that will not only bring Cruz Ruiz and her family justice, but
will protect and guarantee the security of the Autoridad Ancestral. More
specifically,_La Colectiva
<https://lacolectiva.org/?fbclid=IwAR33d6993oEfpd_Pw6TdyWGCIQQEgqQsTOm8bZXIzKbWdqP_df1Ub6Q8M_k>_,
a nonprofit organization run entirely by the Latinx community, condemned
the murder, _stating
<https://www.facebook.com/LaColectiVA703/posts/1141156942762173>_:
“Ancestral authorities are keepers of our traditional ways, Maya justice
system, and ancestral knowledge and attacking them is a direct attack to
the core of our peoples and existence. Attacking the women of our
Nations is the murder of our future generations.” Hundreds of people
attended Cruz Ruiz’s funeral, more than 50 of whom were Maya Achi
authorities. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, less than a
month later a coordinated effort_successfully captured three men
involved in the murder
<https://emisorasunidas.com/2019/10/03/capturan-a-tres-hombres-por-la-muerte-de-autoridad-ancestral-en-rabinal/>_of
Cruz Ruiz and injury of her husband, but their names were not released.
Photo: _Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Paulina%20Cruz%20Ruiz&epa=SEARCH_BOX>_
*Víctor Manuel Chanit Aguilar (Murui Muina) - COLOMBIA*
The mayor and Indigenous leader of Murui Muina was _murdered
<https://www.servindi.org/24/09/2019/asesinan-lider-indigena-del-pueblo-murui-muina-en-la-amazonia-colombiana>_
by an armed group in his hometown, a rural area in the Colombian Amazon
on September 26, 2019. Members of the Indigenous community of Bajo Aguas
Negras Caqueta claim that the national army is responsible for the
death. They blame the army for the murder because they found footprints
from military boots near Víctor’s body, and located the body a mere 40
meters away from where military personnel were stationed. The mayor was
forcibly kidnapped and later discovered lifeless in a field of banana
crops, his facial features disfigured and bearing signs of torture. His
death heightens the risk of the Indigenous community’s cultural and
physical extinction, as calls for justice and protection pass unnoticed
by Colombian authorities. The Coordinator of Human Rights and Peace of
the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon
(OPIAC) has denounced the murder and sent a formal complaint to the
Colombian government, demanding for responsibility to be accepted and
action to be taken. The Murui Munina (Huitoto) community, under a
Constitutional Court Order, have been identified as an Indigenous group
_at risk of physical and cultural disappearance
<https://www.servindi.org/24/09/2019/asesinan-lider-indigena-del-pueblo-murui-muina-en-la-amazonia-colombiana>_.
Other Indigenous communities_have denounced this crime
<https://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/conflicto-y-narcotrafico/asesinan-a-victor-manuel-chani-lider-indigena-en-caqueta-415490>_
and are demanding the reopening of investigations to assure justice.
*Marlon Ferney Pacho (Nasa) - COLOMBIA*
Marlon Ferney Pacho (Nasa) - COLOMBIA
At around 5 pm on September 26, 2019, Marlon Ferney Pacho, 24, was
attacked by four armed strangers, who dragged him from his residence
and_fatally shot him multiple times
<https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/nacional/cauca/cric-denuncia-asesinato-de-marlon-ferney-pacho-secretario-del-cabildo-indigena-del-cauca-articulo-883146>_.
Ferney Pacho was a member of the Nasa community in Colombia. A member of
the Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (_CRIC
<https://www.cric-colombia.org/portal/s-o-s-emergencia-acaba-de-ser-asesinado-una-autoridad-en-tierradentro/asesinato-cabildnate-talaga-marlon-ferney-pacho/>_),
Ferney Pacho had many companions that are now denouncing the
government’s complacency with armed violence, and are reaching out to
both local and regional levels of government for immediate action. The
Consejo denounced the murder, _declaring
<https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/nacional/cauca/cric-denuncia-asesinato-de-marlon-ferney-pacho-secretario-del-cabildo-indigena-del-cauca-articulo-883146>_
that its community will “continue to make united efforts in order to
defend the lives and land of each and every one of us...our territory
nor our people are instruments for the social conflict that unfolds in
the current colombian climate.” The Indigenous Guard embarked upon
investigations to track down those responsible for the murder, but no
leads nor arrests have surfaced.
Photo: _Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=823130671386944&set=a.111209912579027&type=3&theater>_
*Milgen Idán Soto Ávila (Tolupán) - HONDURAS*
Milgen Idán Soto Ávila (Tolupán) - HONDURASMilgen Idán Soto Ávilia (29),
had been a long-time fighter to protect the forests in the Yoro
mountains of Honduras, despite animosity and pushback from commercial
logging companies. He was declared missing by neighbors on September 23,
2019, and _his body was discovered four days later
<https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/27092019-milgen-idan-soto-%C3%A1vila>_.
Soto Ávila was an Indigenous Tolupán leader from Honduras, and a recent
member of the Broad Movement for Dignity and Justice (Movimiento Amplio
por la Dignidad y la Justicia, _MADJ <https://madj.org/>_). Leading up
to his death, the MADJ director stated that Soto Ávila received threats
from a logging company named INMARE after he led a movement against its
exploitative motives in tribal areas. MADJ holds INMARE responsible for
his murder. His death epitomizes the heightened tension between the
Indigenous community and INMARE. In past years, many of Soto Ávilia’s
associates had been arrested for their environmental activism, which
placed Soto Avilia _into a prominent leadership position
<https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/milgen-idan-soto-avila/>_ before he
was killed. Earlier, in February 2019, two of Soto Ávilia’s relatives
were murdered, also known members of the movements defending Indigenous
land. A statement from MADJ _declared
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/HONDURAS-UPR-final_0.pdf>_:
“Soto Avilia was one of the Indigenous People that criticized the
impunity in his relatives’ crimes...two other Indigenous People
assassinated and whose murderers remain in total impunity.”
Photo: _https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/milgen-idan-soto-avila/_
*Dumar Mestizo (Nasa) - COLOMBIA*
Dumar Mestizo (Nasa) - COLOMBIAOn October 4, 2019, in the rural area of
Toribío, Cauca, Colombia was assassinated. Dumar Mestizo (24), an artist
and an art teacher at the program Youth Guard of Jambaló, (Jóvenes del
Resguardo de Jambaló) was killed when men on motorcycles attacked and
shot him. No recent updates pertinent to those responsible for the
murder have been released. Dumar was an integral member of the Youth
Movement Álvaro Ulcúe, an organization founded in 1980 whose mission is
to educate Indigenous communities about different art forms. Mestizo was
a muralist, and used his art as a form of expression for peace and
resistance. A _mural
<https://semanarural.com/web/articulo/dumar-mestizo-el-indigena-artista-que-fue-asesinado-en-el-norte-del-cauca/1172>_
was painted to commemorate Mestizo’s life. In 2009, Dumar’s father,
Indigenous Nasa leader Marino Mestizo, had also been murdered in Cauca.
The North Cauca Indigenous Association _denounced
<https://justiceforcolombia.org/news/young-indigenous-artist-and-activist-murdered-in-southern-colombia/>_
both murders: “we hold responsible the Colombian government for showing
total indifference to the incidents of genocide facing Indigenous
People.” A neighbor remembered Mestizo as an always-smiling boy who was
drawn to art at a young age, as a form of self-expression and identity.
As he grew older, Mestizo’s art took on socio-political meaning and
activism. For example, some of his murals was accompanied with
_sentences
<http://hacemosmemoria.org/2019/10/23/dumar-mestizo-asesinato-del-artista-dumar-mestizo-comunidades-indigenas-del-cauca-persecucion-lideres-y-miembros-de-la-guardia-indigena/>_
such as these: “Podrán matarnos, pero nunca callarán nuestras voces”
(They might kill us, but we will never quiet our voices). Dumar
Mestizo’s death revives that crisis that many Indigenous Peoples are
enduring in Cauca, which debilitates any peace-building or unity among
communities.
Photo: _Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=110144349918716&set=a.110141756585642&type=3&theater>_
*Isaías Cantú Carrasco (Mè’phàà) - MEXICO*
Isaías Cantú Carrasco (Mè’phàà) - MEXICOAs the president of the
Commission of Public Goods of Paraje Montero, the president of the
municipality of Malinaltepec, and a member of the Regional Council of
Agrarian Authorities in Defense of the Territory (CRAADT), _Isaías
<https://www.jornada.com.mx/2019/10/19/opinion/018o1pol>_ Cantú Carrasco
was a prominent defender of Indigenous rights and environmental justice.
Cantú Carrasco was _killed
<https://www.educaoaxaca.org/exigen-esclarecer-el-asesinato-de-isaias-cantu-carrasco-defensor-de-la-montana-de-guerrero/>_
with a firearm near the region’s police station on October 11, 2019, but
regretfully no more information about the murder nor the culprits have
been released. During the seven years prior to his murder, Cantú
Carrasco ignited a fight against mining exploitation and the imposition
of a Biosphere Reserve in the Mè’phàà Indigenous region, located in the
Guerrero mountains._In a press release
<http://www.crisisclimaticayautonomia.org/declaraciones/84>_, the
Regional Council condemned the National Commission of Natural Protected
Areas (CONAP) and its promotion of the Biosphere Reserve, stating on
behalf of Me’phaa and other Indigenous communities: “it implies that the
federal government takes control of our ancestral territories; subject
us to regulations that are alien to our forms of community organization,
prohibiting our traditional activities related to the use and enjoyment
of our natural assets.” The press release also identified Casmin and
Hochschild Mining as the companies behind the mining projects that are
damaging Indigenous lands. The Mexican Network of those Affected by
Mining, (Red Mexicana de Afectados por la Minería, REMA) _denounced
<http://www.remamx.org/2019/10/comunicado-justicia-para-defensor-del-territorio-asesinado-en-la-montana-de-guerrero/>_
Cantú Carrasco’s death and commemorated him for his tireless activism as
a vocal defender and protector of his Indigenous Mè’phàà roots and
traditions.
Photo: _Twitter
<https://twitter.com/search?f=images&q=Isa%C3%ADas%20Cant%C3%BA%20Carrasco&src=typd>_
*Oneida Epiayú (Wayúu) - COLOMBIA*
Oneida Epiayú (Wayúu) - COLOMBIAOneida Epiayú, a leader in the Wayúu
Community, was murdered in broad daylight on October 17, 2019, while
eating lunch at a restaurant in Riohacha, Colombia. Two men entered the
restaurant, still wearing their motorcycle helmets, to approach, shoot, and
_kill
<http://www.pacocol.org/index.php/comites-regionales/la-guajira/9766-asesinan-a-lideresa-wayuu-oneida-epiayu-en-riohacha>_
Epiayú. The attackers also gravely injured four other people, including
her husband José González and a 12-year-old child. Epiayú was known for
_revealing supposed corruption
<https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/oneida-epiayu/>_
in certain food programs executed under the Colombian Family Welfare
Institute (ICBF). However, it is unclear whether or not the asassination
was intended for her or her husband, and further investigations have yet
to be publicized.
Photo source:
_https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/oneida-epiayu/_
*Paulo Paulino Guajajara (Guajajara) - BRAZIL*
The Indigenous Amazon Forest Guard Paulo Paulino Guajajara had_predicted
his imminent death
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/this-indigenous-amazon-forest-guard-long-feared-a-violent-death-it-finally-arrived/2019/11/04/1e6c358e-fe5e-11e9-8341-cc3dce52e7de_story.html>_,
fatefully occurring on November 1, 2019, for being one of nearly 130
“guardians of the forest” or armed Indigenous sentinels. While fetching
water with a fellow colleague, Laércio Souza Silva, Paulino Guajajara
was shot in the neck by armed loggers and died in the forest, while his
companion managed to escape. As an Amazon Guardian of Brazil, Paulino
Guajajara was relentless in defending his eastern Amazon territory,
despite threats and invasions by loggers. An acquaintance of Paulino
Guajajara _declared <https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/12253>_:
“He knew that he might pay with his life, but he saw no alternative, as
the authorities did nothing to protect the forest and uphold the rule of
law.” Paulino Guajajara’s death is emblematic of the drastic Amazonian
deforestation under Brazilian President Bolsonaro, with has destabilized
thousands of Indigenous Peoples and their surrounding environment.
Additionally, perpetrators of the violence have not been punished and
Paulino Guajajara’s death has not received justice.
*Jesús Eduardo Mestizo (Nasa) - COLOMBIA*
Jesús Dumar Mestizo was attacked and[1] _fatally shot
<https://noticias.canalrcn.com/nacional/comunidad-indigena-llora-un-nuevo-asesinato-en-cauca-van-siete-en-una-semana-349190?fbclid=IwAR2DamSMefy1JUEhtY9o2Tca_YTucCbA8SuiRUStO1fdUUdn9DZ8Rmh_XRQ#.XcN4o9sOE9Q.facebook>_by
strangers in the rural area of Toribío, located in Cauca Colombia, right
outside of his home. In addition to his murder, there was an
assassination attempt on the coordinator of the Indigenous guard of the
Toribío village, Arbey Noscue, who managed to flee unharmed. Jesús’s
death was registered as the _seventh
<https://noticias.canalrcn.com/nacional/comunidad-indigena-llora-un-nuevo-asesinato-en-cauca-van-siete-en-una-semana-349190?fbclid=IwAR2DamSMefy1JUEhtY9o2Tca_YTucCbA8SuiRUStO1fdUUdn9DZ8Rmh_XRQ#.XcN4o9sOE9Q.facebook>_
homicide within a single week in the Cauca region of Colombia. Jesús
Eduardo Mestizo was a _member and co-founder
<https://kaosenlared.net/colombia-asesinan-a-jesus-eduardo-mestizo-yosando-comunero-indigena-de-toribio-cauca/>_
of the Asociación Indígena Avelino Ui. The Association is also involved
with the Proceso de Unidad Popular del Suroccidente Colombiano (PUPSOC)
and the social organization and coordination of the Patriotic March
(_Marcha Patriótica <https://www.marchapatriotica.org/>_). Those
responsible for Dumar Mestizo’s murder are still unknown.
*Arnulfo Cerón Soriano (Nahua) - MEXICO*
Arnulfo Cerón Soriano (Nahua) - MEXICOAfter being declared missing for
40 days, the 47-year-old activist and lawyer was found _dead
<https://www.rompeviento.tv/encuentran-el-cuerpo-sin-vida-del-activista-arnulfo-ceron-desaparecido-en-guerrero/?fbclid=IwAR1-71jTZziwCHATPb0_dAFr5Xs1HxcJy9ibiTh5jkhyad9lhDo0z9CW2BA>_
along the Tlapa-Igualita highway, in the Mexican state of Guerrero.
Arnulfo Cerón Soriano was a member of the Nahua Indigenous community,
and a prominent social leader of the Frente Popular de la Montaña (_FPM
<https://www.facebook.com/Frente-Popular-de-la-Monta%C3%B1a-154964991625440/>_).
He was kidnapped by an armed group on the night of October 11, 2019,
after leaving his house that night to attend an event which he failed to
arrive at. During his social advocacy career, Cerón Soriano endured
consistent smear campaigns and discrediting backlash but continued to
fight alongside other human rights activists up until the end. He is
remembered as an integral component to the dangerous yet necessary
endeavors of the Frente Popular to _mobilize
<https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/disappearance-defender-arnulfo-ceron-soriano-state-guererro>_
Indigenous communities, collaborate with the _Tlachinollan Mountain
Human Rights Center
<https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/organization/tlachinollan-mountain-human-rights-center-cdhm>_,
and defend his community. Cerón Soriano’s case has not been solved.
Photo: _Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=785566678586965&set=a.116506955492944&type=3&theater>_
*Catalino Barradas Santiago (Chatino) - MEXICO*
On November 30, 2019, policemen from the Santo Reyes Nopala municipality
in Oaxaca, Mexico _murdered
<https://www.contralinea.com.mx/archivo-revista/2019/12/03/policias-municipales-asesinan-en-oaxaca-al-defensor-indigena-barradas-santiago/?fbclid=IwAR0gE8zlmpAGOgMs0g8QwEk4EmV4q5gbdodLVJyyMV-4CJwlRJxbFKOiihM>_
Catalino Barradas Santiago (32), and injured two other individuals.
Barradas Santiago belonged to the Chatino Indigenous community and was a
notable human rights defender. He was travelling with other colleagues
the night of the assassination. Testimonies from police who were
involved in the murder defended their actions, stating that the
travelers were proselytizing illegally which justified the policemen’s
decision to pull them over and open fire on the victims. Some of the
group were able to escape to the mountains; Barradas Santiago was the
only reported fatality. Barradas Santiago’s murder occurred only days
before the _municipal elections
<https://oaxaca.eluniversal.com.mx/seguridad/11-12-2019/morena-pide-justicia-por-el-homicidio-de-activista-de-derechos-humanos-en>_
in the region, causing the election day – scheduled for December 1st –
to be suspended. Despite the fact that Santos Reyes Nopala, Oaxaca
municipality has a traditional, Chatino government, it is often
corrupted by other external political leaders who indirectly control and
organize overt force to suppress the rights of the Indigenous Chatino
community. As a result, Barradas Santiago’s murder has mostly been
ignored by authorities, who have not prioritized seeking justice for him.
*Josué Bernardo Marcial Santos (Mixe-Popoluca) - MEXICO*
Josué Bernardo Marcial Santos (Mixe-Popoluca) - MEXICOKnown as Tío Bad
on stage, the rapper from the town of Sayula de Alemán in Veracruz,
Mexico, was _murdered
<https://avispa.org/tio-bad-slain-rapper-defended-mixe-popoluca-language/>_
on December 19, 2019, after kidnappers demanded a ransom that was unmet.
He used the power of musical and artistic expression to condemn the slow
extinction of his native Mixe-Popoluca language, the murders of
journalists, the narco-trafficking forces in Veracruz, and the
exploitative fracking in his local area. He rapped in his native
language of Sayulteca, one of many Indigenous languages in Mexico that
has been threatened due to marginalization, migration of youth, and
globalization. Not only did Tío Bad’s music revive the fading
connections between older and younger generations, it vocalized and
disseminated the many injustices and prejudices experienced by his
Indigenous community across a diverse audience. He was also an engaged
member of the Altepee Collective, a group that preserves and promotes
traditional string music. His legacy remains indelible among his
community, but those responsible for his death have not been found, let
alone detained.
--
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415
863.9977 https://freedomarchives.org/
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