At Least 196 Environmental Activists Were Murdered in 2023

At least 196 people were murdered last year for environmental activism, according to a new report by the international non-governmental organization Global Witness. The countries with the highest death counts were Colombia (79), Brazil (25), Honduras (18), Mexico (18) and the Philippines (17). Of those counted last year, 43 percent were Indigenous Peoples and six percent were Afro-descendants. These figures are likely even low estimates due to underreporting, which comes down to an array of reasons whether that’s journalists being targeted or families refraining from seeking justice for fear of retaliation.

Global Witness has been documenting these killings since 2012. Since then, 2,106 people are estimated to have been murdered. Latin America has continued to have the most documented murders of land and environmental defenders, with Colombia the deadliest place of all. In just over a decade, 461 people were killed there, while 401 were killed in Brazil, 298 in the Philippines, 203 in Mexico and 149 in Honduras.

The report highlights how murder continues to be used as a means to silence voices, often in an environment where other tactics of oppression are used such as violence, intimidation, disappearances, smear campaigns and criminalization. In Asia, such non-lethal attacks are increasingly used, with judicial harassment the most recorded violation against human rights defenders in 2021 and 2022, at 1,033 known incidents, according to Forum Asia. In the region, 468 defenders were murdered between 2012 and 2023, with most of these in the Philippines (298), India (86), Indonesia (20) and Thailand (13).

The most dangerous industry last year was that of mining and extractives, where at least 25 people were murdered due to their work. According to the report, it remains difficult to establish a direct link between the murder of a defender and specific corporate interests, which explains why the majority of deaths are not accounted for.

Just some of the measures Global Witness is calling for include for governments to systematically document attacks and reprisals of environmental defenders and their communities, in order to improve existing laws and for businesses to ensure legal compliance and corporate responsibility at all levels.