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<h1 class="reader-title">In Memoriam: 28 Indigenous Rights
Defenders Murdered in Latin America in 2019</h1>
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<div class="reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: left;">January 28, 2020<br>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>
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.</p>
<p>
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.</p>
</div>
<p>Please join us in celebrating the legacies of these
defenders who gave their lives in pursuit of a better
world.</p>
<p><br>
<b>Óscar Cazorla (Zapotec) - MEXICO</b></p>
<p><img alt="Óscar Cazorla (Zapotec) - MEXICO"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="a33f69e0-35a9-4631-b777-8849d4b09c81"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/carlos.jpg">
On February 9, 2019, Óscar Cazorla (62), <u><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/zapotec-advocate-muxe-and-lgbtq-rights-murdered-mexico">was
found murdered</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://www.lasintrepidas.com/">Las Auténticas
Intrépidas Buscadoras del Peligro</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://www.lajornadamaya.mx/2019-07-01/Familia-de-activista-muxe-asesinado-exige-justicia">July
2019</a></u>, 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. </p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/zapotec-advocate-muxe-and-lgbtq-rights-murdered-mexico">Miho
Hagino/Facebook</a></u></p>
<div>
<p><b>Saturnino Ramírez Interiano (May</b><strong>a
Ch’orti’) </strong><b>Guatemala</b><br>
<img alt="Saturnino Ramírez Interiano (Maya Ch’orti’)
Guatemala" data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="44892863-5cb6-4015-855f-e03a28ddf932"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/saturnio.jpg">Maya
Ch'orti' linguist Saturnino Ramírez Interiano </p>
<u><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/mayan-language-activist-murdered-guatemala-two-months-celebration-international-year">was
</a><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/mayan-language-activist-murdered-guatemala-two-months-celebration-international-year">assassinated</a></u>
<p> 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 </p>
<u><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/chorti-peoples-guatemala-lead-battle-reclaim-their-lands">history</a></u>
<p> 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, </p>
<u><a
href="https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/chiquimula/matan-a-director-de-academia-de-lenguas-mayas/">Petronilo
Pérez López</a></u>
<p>, 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.</p>
<p>
Photo: </p>
<u><a
href="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">Facebook</a></u></div>
<p><br>
<b>Sergio Rojas (Bribri)- COSTA RICA</b></p>
<p><img alt="Sergio Rojas (Bribri)- COSTA RICA"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="d81b84de-e0a5-4467-959a-d7bf78321cc0"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/54433468_2089963841072993_6233025044407123968_o.jpg">On
the evening of March 18, 2019, Indigenous leader <u><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/costa-rica-must-implement-land-rights-indigenous-peoples-wake-leaders-murder">Sergio
Rojas Ortiz</a></u> 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<u><a
href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/sergio-rojas-ortiz-leader-of-costa-ricas-indigenous-bribri-slain-by-gunmen/">
to the state prosecutor to report a series of
threats</a></u> that members of the Salitre
community had received regarding a land dispute over
Indigenous territories. After the murder, Costa Rican
president Carlos Alvarado Quesada <u><a
href="http://indigenouspolicy.org/index.php/ipj/article/view/599/612">condemned</a></u>
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 <a
href="https://www.informa-tico.com/28-08-2019/proponen-comision-independiente-investigue-asesinato-sergio-rojas"><u>specialized
investigative unit</u></a> 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. </p>
<p>In October 2018, Cultural Survival submitted a<u><a
href="https://www.upr-info.org/es/upr-process/what-is-it">
</a></u>report on human rights violations against
Indigenous Peoples in Costa Rica to the UN Human Rights
Council via <u><a
href="https://www.upr-info.org/es/upr-process/what-is-it">Universal
Periodic Review</a></u>, 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, <u><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/pressure-mounts-indigenous-rights-costa-rica">Cultural
Survival </a></u>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.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="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">Facebook</a></u></p>
<p><b>Cristian Javá Ríos (Urarina), PERU</b></p>
<p><img alt="Cristian Javá Ríos (Urarina), PERU"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="8c46198a-d3c9-4e85-a7fe-62404304d167"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/cristian.jpg">On
April 17, 2019, in the Peruvian Amazon, Cristian Javá
Ríos (20) <u><a
href="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">was
killed in a gang-organized ambush , motivated to
sabotage pipelines transporting oil across the
region.</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/andes-to-the-amazon/2017/aug/03/us1-billion-oil-perus-amazon">threat</a></u>
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 <u><a
href="https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/es/statement-report/killing-human-rights-defenders-strengthens-call-public-policy-their-protection">a
Protocol that prioritizes and safeguards human
rights defenders</a></u>, but it is one of many
steps remaining to be taken in order to guarantee safety
of Indigenous Peoples in Peru. </p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="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">Facebook</a></u></p>
<p><b> José Alfredo Hernandez (Nahuat Pipil) - EL
SALVADOR</b></p>
<p>José Alfredo Hernandez was <u><a
href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/call-for-investigation-of-human-rights-violations-and-violence-against-indigenous-peoples-of-el-salvador">killed</a></u>
in the service of protecting his sister-in-law,
Indigenous activist Margot Perez.<br>
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 <u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/PueblosIndigenasElSalvador/photos/a.712680545500538/805656202869638/?type=1&theater">Nahuat
Pipil Native Peoples Council of Nahuizalco</a></u>
(Consejo de Pueblos Originarios Nahuat Pipil de
Nahuizalco), Margot Perez’s courageous advocacy has
continued to put her life in jeopardy. An<u><a
href="https://www.ubcic.bc.ca/condemns_the_reprehensible_persecution_of_margot_p_rez">
open letter</a></u>, 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.</p>
<p><b>Otilia Martínez Cruz and Gregorio Chaparro Cruz
(Rarámuri) - MEXICO</b></p>
<p>On the outskirts of Chihuahua and Sinaloa, Mexico,
Otilia Martínez Cruz (60) and her son Gregorio Chaparro
Cruz (20) were <u><a
href="https://www.jornada.com.mx/2019/05/04/estados/024n1est">murdered
outside their home on May 3</a></u>, 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<u><a
href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/11/la-mortal-defensa-del-bosque-por-julian-carrillo/">
Julián Carrillo Martínez</a></u>, 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 “<i>Los Chorohuis” </i>broke into the home and
and fatally inflicted both mother and son with<u><a
href="https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/otilia-martinez-cruz/">
multiple bullet wounds</a></u>. A witness recognized
one alleged murderer, <u><a
href="https://raichali.com/2019/05/02/asesinan-a-mujer-e-hijo-en-coloradas-de-la-virgen-tierra-de-homicidios-de-defensores-del-territorio/">Ramón
Muela Loera</a></u>, but no updates have been
released ascertaining the whereabouts nor convictions of
the suspects.</p>
<p><b> José Lucio Bartolo Faustino and Modesto Verales
Sebastián (Nahua) MEXICO</b></p>
<p><img alt=" José Lucio Bartolo Faustino and Modesto
Verales Sebastián (Nahua) MEXICO"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="df37c83a-6b72-4e3f-adbd-0a008f222190"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/71332745_2354545551528906_7894522749043867648_o.jpg">On
May 4,2019, both José Lucio Bartolo Faustino and Modesto
Verales Sebstián had attended a meeting with other
members of the <u><a
href="https://m.aristeguinoticias.com/0505/mexico/matan-a-dos-integrantes-del-congreso-nacional-indigena-en-guerrero/?fbclid=IwAR2qk27bo7wouSzoS4VjkR46hxrZAnuGkEafPr1oo5FjSSpd9Rt8yNLulXs">Emiliano
Zapata Popular Indigenous Council of Guerrero </a></u>(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, <u><a
href="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/">both
were kidnapped and murdered by narco-paramilitary
groups</a></u>. 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 <u><a
href="https://www.amwenglish.com/articles/on-the-murder-of-compa%C3%B1eros-from-the-emiliano-zapata-popular-indigenous-council/">Community
Police</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="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/">denounced</a></u>
the injustice and demand that the government be held
accountable.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="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">Facebook</a></u></p>
<p><b> Leonel Díaz Urbano (Nahua), MEXICO</b></p>
<p>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 <u><a
href="https://ejatlas.org/conflict/gaya-hidroelectrica-rioapulco-puebla">Hidroeléctrica
Gaya SA from Mexico</a></u>, 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 <u><a
href="https://www.periodicocentral.mx/2017/municipio/item/3320-la-comunidad-indigena-que-paro-un-proyecto-de-muerte-en-zacapoaxtla">officially
forced to withdraw</a></u> 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. <u><a
href="https://twitter.com/ecardenassan?lang=en">Enrique
Cárdenas</a></u>, a candidate for a local government
position, declared shortly after his murder that “<u><a
href="https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/asesinan-a-lider-indigena-leonel-diaz-urbano-en-puebla/1312248">the
rights of Indigenous Peoples and communities will be
respected and defended under my term.</a></u>”
Enrique Cárdenas lost the <u><a
href="https://www.nacion321.com/elecciones/los-claroscuros-de-los-candidatos-miguel-barbosa-y-enrique-cardenas">May
2019 election</a></u> to Luis Miguel Barbosa, but
remains a powerful voice within his community.
Meanwhile, Díaz Urbano’s murder remains unsolved.</p>
<p><b>Daniel Rojas (Nasa) COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p><img alt="Daniel Rojas (Nasa) COLOMBIA"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="d29848de-8478-4c51-8eb8-cbf61f7e277c"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/daniel%20rojas.png">North
of Cauca, Colombia, the president of the Junta de
Acción Comunal (JAC) in Caloto, Daniel Rojas (40), was <u><a
href="http://tierradentro.co/Reportan-el-asesinato-de-Daniel-Rojas-presidente-de-Junta-de-Accion-Comunal-JAC/">murdered
at around 8 pm in his home</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://www.contagioradio.com/daniel-rojas-lider-indigena-y-promotor-del-deporte-fue-asesinado-en-cauca/">sports
practices</a></u>, 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 <u><a
href="https://nasaacin.org/asesinado-daniel-rojas-presidente-de-la-jac-vereda-lopez-adentro-resguardo-lopez-adentro-caloto-cauca/">Association
of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca</a></u>
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.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://twitter.com/JFColombia/status/1129339624952934406">Twitter</a></u></p>
<p><b>Jorge Juc Cucul (</b><b>Q'eqchi' Maya) - GUATEMALA</b></p>
<p>Jorge Juc Cucul was a respected elder and <u><a
href="https://www.prensa.com/mundo/Guatemala-aumenta-defensores-derechos-asesinados_0_5358964051.html">president</a></u>
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. <u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/Comunitaria.Prensa/photos/a.571987252919118/2335143853270107/?type=3&theater">As
a CODECA member for 5 years</a></u>, 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<u><a
href="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">
one of ten total murders</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="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">condemn</a></u>
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.<br>
</p>
<p><b> Emyra Wajãpi (Wajãpi) - BRAZIL</b></p>
<p><img alt=" Emyra Wajãpi (Wajãpi) - BRAZIL"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="8db7681c-ef12-4878-89a1-742b79638bd1"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/emyra.jpg">A
leader of the Wajãpi tribe, Emyra Wajãpi was <u><a
href="https://incendiarynews.com/2019/08/07/brazil-miners-invade-indigenous-land-murder-village-leader/?fbclid=IwAR2cLZUVtGq3lBRXJ-GsVYPjBXHY53NEX-v6ISeKgcfzh2Ybzf73-jSYC5I"> fatally
stabbed on July 23</a></u>, 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 <u><a
href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/27/world/americas/brazil-miners-amapa.html">dominate
a majority of profitable land that should be opened
up to corporate industries</a></u>. 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 <u><a
href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/12/murders-of-indigenous-leaders-in-brazil-amazon-hit-highest-level-in-two-decades/">37%
of all rural killings in 2019,</a></u> a dramatic
increase from 7% in 2018. Even more devastating, <u><a
href="https://www.hrw.org/pt/news/2019/09/17/333865">while
more than 300 murder cases in the past 10 years,
only 14 were brought to court</a></u>; many of those
responsible for the crimes were part of illegal logging
and deforestation activities.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/emyra-wajapi/">https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/emyra-wajapi/</a></u></p>
<p><b>Kevin Mestizo Coicué and Eugenio Tenorio (Nasa) -
COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p>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, <u><a
href="https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2019/08/14/indigenas-en-colombia-se-declaran-en-emergencia-por-violencia-contra-sus-pueblos/?fbclid=IwAR0Q00ovyFIYrWhtw7NeBHo-k1OZhcikN2UK2emJ0Mt8mDifIBW8gZkNyDE">asserting</a></u>:
“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. </p>
<p><b>Cristina Bautista - (Nasa) - COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p><img alt="Cristina Bautista - (Nasa) - COLOMBIA"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="6064bc5b-1bec-405c-a72f-40fe37133d47"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/cristina.jpg">Ne’h
Wesx Authority <u><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/cultural-survival-condemns-massacre-indigenous-leaders-colombia">Cristina
Bautista</a></u> and <u><a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/news/guardias-indigenas-gobernadora-asesinados-toibio-cauca-colombia-20191029-0036.html">four
members</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://colombiaplural.com/el-ultimo-recorrido-de-cristina-bautista/">reports</a></u>,
a black vehicle with armed members of the FARC dissident
group "Dagoberto Ramos" <u><a
href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50233674">opened
fire</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://www.lafm.com.co/judicial/si-nos-quedamos-callados-nos-matan-y-si-hablamos-tambien-entonces-hablamos">exclaimed</a></u>:
"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 (<u><a
href="https://www.cric-colombia.org/portal/denuncia-y-posicion-politica-del-movimiento-indigena-acerca-del-genocidio-que-se-viene-presentando-con-los-pueblos-indigenas/">CRIC</a></u>)
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 <u><a
href="https://colombiareports.com/colombia-reports-personality-of-2019-cristina-bautista-rip/">Colombia
Reports’ personality of 2019</a></u>.</p>
<p>Photo: <u>Cristina Bautista/ Facebook</u></p>
<p><b> Juan Francisco Luna Álvarez (Zenú) - COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p>On August 8, 2019, Juan Fransisco Luna Álvarez (60) was
<u><a
href="https://www.elheraldo.co/cordoba/los-caparros-autores-del-crimen-de-indigena-de-ure-dice-policia-656910">found
assassinated</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://www.insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/los-caparrapos/">“Los
</a><a
href="https://www.insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/los-caparrapos/">Caparrapos</a><a
href="https://www.insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/los-caparrapos/">”</a></u>,
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 <u><a
href="https://www.wradio.com.co/noticias/regionales/otro-campesino-asesinado-en-el-sur-de-cordoba/20190809/nota/3938477.aspx">incinerated</a></u>
and his family was forced to flee. A few days after the
event, authorities of the San José de Uré municipality
convened <u><a
href="https://www.elheraldo.co/cordoba/los-caparros-autores-del-crimen-de-indigena-de-ure-dice-policia-656910"> a
security council</a></u> 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.<br>
</p>
<p><b> Abraham Domicó (Embera) - COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p>An Indigenous member of the Embera Eyábida community,
in Tarazá, Colombia, Abraham Domicó was shot and <u><a
href="https://www.onic.org.co/comunicados-onic/3127-asesinan-a-indigena-embera-eyabida-en-taraza-bajo-cauca-antioqueno">murdered</a></u>
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 <u><a
href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/08/06/colombias-historic-peace-agreement-with-farc-is-fraying-we-talked-colombians-understand-why/">already-fraying
2016 peace agreement</a></u> 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<u><a
href="https://www.onic.org.co/comunicados-onic/3127-asesinan-a-indigena-embera-eyabida-en-taraza-bajo-cauca-antioqueno">
Indigenous Organization of Antioquia</a><a
href="https://www.onic.org.co/comunicados-onic/3127-asesinan-a-indigena-embera-eyabida-en-taraza-bajo-cauca-antioqueno">
</a></u>(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.</p>
<p><br>
<b>Mirna Suazo (Garifuna) - HONDURAS</b></p>
<p> <img alt="Mirna Suazo (Garifuna) - HONDURAS"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="fa4b3d0d-2b64-491e-9d9c-0cf89d34dddf"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/mirna.png">Mirna
Suazo, president of the Masca Board of Trustees in
Honduras, was <u><a
href="https://ofraneh.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/repudiamos-asesinato-de-mirna-suazo-presidente-patronato-de-masca/">murdered</a></u>
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 <u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/MovAmplioHn/videos/649451825580409/?v=649451825580409">video</a></u>
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 <u><a
href="https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/environment-energy/climate_change/mitigation/mdg-carbon-facility-brochure.html">MDG
Carbon Facility</a></u> <u><a
href="https://honduras.oxfam.org/blog/deber-consulta-previa-en-Honduras">without
Free, Prior, and Informed Consent</a></u>. Her death
has heightened calls for justice, especially by the
Honduran Black Fraternal Organization (Organización
Fraternal Negra Hondureña, <u><a
href="https://ofraneh.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/repudiamos-asesinato-de-mirna-suazo-presidente-patronato-de-masca/">OFRANEH</a></u>)
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.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/MovAmplioHn/videos/649451825580409/">Facebook</a></u></p>
<p><b>Paulina Cruz Ruiz (Maya Achi) - GUATEMALA</b></p>
<p><img alt="Paulina Cruz Ruiz (Maya Achi) - GUATEMALA"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="8324c020-94e4-4799-a8bd-f847cae4f27b"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/paulina.png">Paulina
Cruz Ruiz (58), member of the Autoridad Ancestral de
Maya Achi from Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala <u><a
href="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">was
shot a mere 100 meters from her home</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://www.internationalrivers.org/blogs/233-0">Chixoy Dam</a></u>,
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,<u><a
href="https://lacolectiva.org/?fbclid=IwAR33d6993oEfpd_Pw6TdyWGCIQQEgqQsTOm8bZXIzKbWdqP_df1Ub6Q8M_k">
La Colectiva</a></u>, a nonprofit organization run
entirely by the Latinx community, condemned the murder,
<u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/LaColectiVA703/posts/1141156942762173">stating</a></u>:
“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<u><a
href="https://emisorasunidas.com/2019/10/03/capturan-a-tres-hombres-por-la-muerte-de-autoridad-ancestral-en-rabinal/">
successfully captured three men involved in the
murder </a></u>of Cruz Ruiz and injury of her
husband, but their names were not released.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Paulina%20Cruz%20Ruiz&epa=SEARCH_BOX">Facebook</a></u></p>
<p><b>Víctor Manuel Chanit Aguilar (Murui Muina) -
COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p>The mayor and Indigenous leader of Murui Muina was <u><a
href="https://www.servindi.org/24/09/2019/asesinan-lider-indigena-del-pueblo-murui-muina-en-la-amazonia-colombiana">murdered</a></u>
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 <u><a
href="https://www.servindi.org/24/09/2019/asesinan-lider-indigena-del-pueblo-murui-muina-en-la-amazonia-colombiana">at
risk of physical and cultural disappearance</a></u>.
Other Indigenous communities<u><a
href="https://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/conflicto-y-narcotrafico/asesinan-a-victor-manuel-chani-lider-indigena-en-caqueta-415490">
have denounced this crime</a></u> and are demanding
the reopening of investigations to assure justice. <br>
</p>
<p><b>Marlon Ferney Pacho (Nasa) - COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p><img alt="Marlon Ferney Pacho (Nasa) - COLOMBIA"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="aeae6d3c-8c3b-4bfb-a6fe-ae3b540787a8"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/marlon_0.jpg"><br>
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<u><a
href="https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/nacional/cauca/cric-denuncia-asesinato-de-marlon-ferney-pacho-secretario-del-cabildo-indigena-del-cauca-articulo-883146">
fatally shot him multiple times</a></u>. Ferney
Pacho was a member of the Nasa community in Colombia. A
member of the Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (<u><a
href="https://www.cric-colombia.org/portal/s-o-s-emergencia-acaba-de-ser-asesinado-una-autoridad-en-tierradentro/asesinato-cabildnate-talaga-marlon-ferney-pacho/">CRIC</a></u>),
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, <u><a
href="https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/nacional/cauca/cric-denuncia-asesinato-de-marlon-ferney-pacho-secretario-del-cabildo-indigena-del-cauca-articulo-883146">declaring</a></u>
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.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=823130671386944&set=a.111209912579027&type=3&theater">Facebook</a></u></p>
<p><b>Milgen Idán Soto Ávila (Tolupán) - HONDURAS</b></p>
<p><img alt="Milgen Idán Soto Ávila (Tolupán) - HONDURAS"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="c63ab31e-e3cf-4dee-95f3-f541ce2b3af0"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/milgen_0.jpg">Milgen
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 <u><a
href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/27092019-milgen-idan-soto-%C3%A1vila">his
body was discovered four days later</a></u>. 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, <u><a href="https://madj.org/">MADJ</a></u>).
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 <u><a
href="https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/milgen-idan-soto-avila/">into
a prominent leadership position</a></u> 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 <u><a
href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/HONDURAS-UPR-final_0.pdf">declared</a></u>:
“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.”</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/milgen-idan-soto-avila/">https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/milgen-idan-soto-avila/</a></u></p>
<p><b>Dumar Mestizo (Nasa) - COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p><img alt="Dumar Mestizo (Nasa) - COLOMBIA"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="c48abba9-39f2-4917-aa46-dcf9eaacff09"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/dumar_0.jpg">On
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 <u><a
href="https://semanarural.com/web/articulo/dumar-mestizo-el-indigena-artista-que-fue-asesinado-en-el-norte-del-cauca/1172">mural</a></u>
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 <u><a
href="https://justiceforcolombia.org/news/young-indigenous-artist-and-activist-murdered-in-southern-colombia/">denounced</a></u>
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 <u><a
href="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/">sentences</a></u>
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.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=110144349918716&set=a.110141756585642&type=3&theater">Facebook</a></u></p>
<p><b>Isaías Cantú Carrasco (Mè’phàà) - MEXICO</b></p>
<p><img alt="Isaías Cantú Carrasco (Mè’phàà) - MEXICO"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="2ce57a8a-e90d-4be1-bef1-b8064c3bd6c8"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/isias_0.png">As
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), <u><a
href="https://www.jornada.com.mx/2019/10/19/opinion/018o1pol">Isaías</a></u>
Cantú Carrasco was a prominent defender of Indigenous
rights and environmental justice. Cantú Carrasco was <u><a
href="https://www.educaoaxaca.org/exigen-esclarecer-el-asesinato-de-isaias-cantu-carrasco-defensor-de-la-montana-de-guerrero/">killed</a></u>
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.<u><a
href="http://www.crisisclimaticayautonomia.org/declaraciones/84"> In a
press release</a></u>, 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) <u><a
href="http://www.remamx.org/2019/10/comunicado-justicia-para-defensor-del-territorio-asesinado-en-la-montana-de-guerrero/">denounced</a></u>
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.</p>
<p> Photo: <u><a
href="https://twitter.com/search?f=images&q=Isa%C3%ADas%20Cant%C3%BA%20Carrasco&src=typd">Twitter</a></u><br>
</p>
<p><b>Oneida Epiayú (Wayúu) - COLOMBIA</b></p>
<div>
<p><img alt="Oneida Epiayú (Wayúu) - COLOMBIA"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="8e06913b-fb27-45d1-8eda-6e5f5e0580b7"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/oneida_0.jpg">Oneida
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 </p>
<u><a
href="http://www.pacocol.org/index.php/comites-regionales/la-guajira/9766-asesinan-a-lideresa-wayuu-oneida-epiayu-en-riohacha">kill</a></u>
<p> Epiayú. The attackers also gravely injured four
other people, including her husband José González and
a 12-year-old child. Epiayú was known for</p>
<u><a
href="https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/oneida-epiayu/">
revealing supposed corruption</a></u>
<p> 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.</p>
<p>
Photo source: </p>
<u><a
href="https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/oneida-epiayu/">https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/oneida-epiayu/</a></u></div>
<p><b>Paulo Paulino Guajajara (Guajajara) - BRAZIL</b></p>
<p>The Indigenous Amazon Forest Guard Paulo Paulino
Guajajara had<u><a
href="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">
predicted his imminent death</a></u>, 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 <u><a
href="https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/12253">declared</a></u>:
“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.<br>
</p>
<p><b>Jesús Eduardo Mestizo (Nasa) - COLOMBIA</b></p>
<p><a>Jesús Dumar Mestizo was attacked and</a><a
id="gmail-_anchor_1" name="_msoanchor_1">[1]</a> <u><a
href="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">fatally
shot </a></u>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 <u><a
href="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">seventh</a></u>
homicide within a single week in the Cauca region of
Colombia. Jesús Eduardo Mestizo was a <u><a
href="https://kaosenlared.net/colombia-asesinan-a-jesus-eduardo-mestizo-yosando-comunero-indigena-de-toribio-cauca/">member
and co-founder</a></u> 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 (<u><a
href="https://www.marchapatriotica.org/">Marcha
Patriótica</a></u>). Those responsible for Dumar
Mestizo’s murder are still unknown.</p>
<p><b>Arnulfo Cerón Soriano (Nahua) - MEXICO</b></p>
<p><img alt="Arnulfo Cerón Soriano (Nahua) - MEXICO"
data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="2e4a3e04-76a7-4ee7-9352-68550cd4190f"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/arnulfo_0.jpg">After
being declared missing for 40 days, the 47-year-old
activist and lawyer was found <u><a
href="https://www.rompeviento.tv/encuentran-el-cuerpo-sin-vida-del-activista-arnulfo-ceron-desaparecido-en-guerrero/?fbclid=IwAR1-71jTZziwCHATPb0_dAFr5Xs1HxcJy9ibiTh5jkhyad9lhDo0z9CW2BA">dead</a></u>
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 (<u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/Frente-Popular-de-la-Monta%C3%B1a-154964991625440/">FPM</a></u>).
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 <u><a
href="https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/disappearance-defender-arnulfo-ceron-soriano-state-guererro">mobilize</a></u>
Indigenous communities, collaborate with the <u><a
href="https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/organization/tlachinollan-mountain-human-rights-center-cdhm">Tlachinollan
Mountain Human Rights Center</a></u>, and defend his
community. Cerón Soriano’s case has not been solved.</p>
<p>Photo: <u><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=785566678586965&set=a.116506955492944&type=3&theater">Facebook</a></u></p>
<p><br>
<b>Catalino Barradas Santiago (Chatino) - MEXICO</b></p>
<p>On November 30, 2019, policemen from the Santo Reyes
Nopala municipality in Oaxaca, Mexico <u><a
href="https://www.contralinea.com.mx/archivo-revista/2019/12/03/policias-municipales-asesinan-en-oaxaca-al-defensor-indigena-barradas-santiago/?fbclid=IwAR0gE8zlmpAGOgMs0g8QwEk4EmV4q5gbdodLVJyyMV-4CJwlRJxbFKOiihM">murdered</a></u>
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 <u><a
href="https://oaxaca.eluniversal.com.mx/seguridad/11-12-2019/morena-pide-justicia-por-el-homicidio-de-activista-de-derechos-humanos-en">municipal
elections</a></u> 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. </p>
<p><b>Josué Bernardo Marcial Santos (Mixe-Popoluca) -
MEXICO</b></p>
<p><img alt=" Josué Bernardo Marcial Santos
(Mixe-Popoluca) - MEXICO" data-entity-type="file"
data-entity-uuid="25b60d24-27d7-4e53-9439-8e5bea8e48c7"
src="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/jose_1.jpg">Known
as Tío Bad on stage, the rapper from the town of Sayula
de Alemán in Veracruz, Mexico, was <u><a
href="https://avispa.org/tio-bad-slain-rapper-defended-mixe-popoluca-language/">murdered</a></u>
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.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
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San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
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