Environmental activist killings in Honduras
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The organization Global Witness has said that Honduras is the deadliest country in the world for environmental activists.[1] In the period between 2009 and 2017, more than 120 environmental activists were killed.[2]
Honduras is the poorest and most violent country (in terms of homicide) in Central America. About 16% of its population lives on a daily income of $1.90 USD or less, and 74.6 people per 100,000 are murdered each year. It also ranks lowest on the Human Development Index, with a score of 130. Honduras and Guatemala have the highest prevalence of direct violence against environmental activists. From 1959 to 2015, 79% of cases of environmental violence involving murder occurred in one of these two countries.[3]
Notable victims and incidents
- Berta Cáceres (1971 – 2016)
- Jeannette Kawas (1946 – 1995)[4]
- María Enriqueta Matute[5]
- Lesbia Urquía[5]
- Tomás Garcia[3]
- José Santos Sevilla[6]
- Félix Vásquez killed on 26 December 2020 in his home in Santiago de Puringla.[7]
The National Human Rights Commissioner of Honduras reports that 92 Hondurans were killed near Bajo Aguán from 2009–2012 due to conflicts over the expansion of palm oil plantations.[8][3]