164 land, environmental activists murdered in 2018
At least 164 land and environmental activists were murdered last year for defending their homes, lands and natural resources from exploitation by mining, food and logging firms, Global Witness said yesterday. The charity watchdog’s annual land defenders report found “countless” more people were silenced through violence, intimidation and the use and misuse of anti-protest laws across the world. By far the most dangerous place for activists and indigenous communities was the Philippines, which saw 30 murders in 2018, the report said. Colombia and India saw 24 and 23 deaths linked to environmental activism in 2018, while Guatemala was the deadliest nation for land defenders per head of population with 16 confirmed killings. The biggest single massacre documented by the group in 2018 occurred in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with 13 people murdered after protesting the environmental impact of a copper mine.
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