Latin America remains the deadliest region for land and environmental defenders with 85% of cases in 2025
The Global Witness report once again ranks Colombia as the country with the highest number of murders, with 39 out of 124 worldwide. Brazil follows with 26, double the 2024 figure
Latin America stands as the most perilous region for land and environmental defenders in 2025, with 85% of the documented cases occurring within its borders, according to Global Witness. This grim statistic marks a persistent trend since the organization started reporting on such incidents in 2012. Notable victims include Cándido Esaú Román Pérez, a champion for communal lands in Jalisco, Mexico, who was slain in November 2025.
In Honduras’s Caribbean region, Suyapa Guillén and her husband, José Luis Hernández, a member of a peasant cooperative, met a similar fate in February. Colombia also witnessed the deaths of Aida Damaris Flor Camayo, a member of the Indigenous guard in Cauca, and a Pataxó Indigenous person in the southernmost part of Bahia. These tragic losses underscore the ongoing dangers faced by activists and environmental defenders across Latin America.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
