- Juan Francisco Alonso
- BBC News World
image source, Getty Images
Colombia tops the rankings of the five most dangerous countries in Latin America for human rights activists, according to data from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Devoting oneself to defending human rights is a very dangerous task, especially if it is carried out in Latin America, a region that has become the most dangerous region in the world to denounce or demand the violation of some fundamental guarantees.
The complaint was filed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a case that recorded the deaths of 147 activists in 2021, according to information in the annual report published last week.
But if 2021 is not a good year for human rights defenders in the region, then 2022 does not look much better.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in another preliminary report, stated that only in the first four months of this year did it count the death of 89 active.
The five most dangerous countries
With 145 defenders killedColombia is the most dangerous country on the continent to promote fundamental rights and freedoms.
The Colombian authorities have acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and assured the committee this year that measures are being taken to reverse it, among which they highlighted that it currently has 3,749 social leaders under protection.
“The situation is worrying,” Commissioner Joel Hernandez, Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, admitted.
Mexico, with 10 deaths, is second, according to data from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Indigenous community leaders and environmental advocates were the main victims.
for this part, Peru with 5 dead, Honduras with 4 and Guatemala With 2 they are in third, fourth and fifth place; Straight.
Who are the victims?
Most of the slain activists defended the land, territory, and environment or were members of indigenous communities, denouncing the IACHR, an organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS).
This indicates that the people who have decided to publicly reveal the violations and abuses committed by the police and army forces are not the only ones at risk.
On the contrary, anyone who peacefully decides to promote and protect the universal, indivisible and indivisible rights of peoples and individuals may be at risk. This includes trade unionists and journalists as well.
The data dealt with by the committee also reveal that threats are not limited to activists only, but in some cases extend to their death. family circle.
bra case Joseph Gomez It is proof of that. On January 9, Gomez was shot dead along with his wife and daughter in the region of São Félix do Zingo, Pará state. The victim was dedicated to the release of baby turtles in the Amazon, in an attempt to resettle this species.
So far, the police authorities have not provided much information on this matter and only said that they are investigating the crime.
Although the bulk of the deceased recorded by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights are men, cases such as that of Mexican activist Gladys Aranza Ramos, a member of the Madres Poscadoras de Sonora group, who was murdered on July 15, 2021, indicate that Defenders number risk free.
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The commission’s figures are backed by those run by other organizations such as Irish Front Line Defenders, which specialize in monitoring the conditions in which defenders carry out their work around the world.
In its report corresponding to 2021, Front Line Defenders denounced the killing of 358 human rights defenders in the world, 252 from Latin America; that is 70%.
Causes of the problem
Institutional weaknesses, especially the lack of judicial independence, and criminal violence, in the opinion of Commissioner Hernández, are the reasons why Latin America is so dangerous for those who decide to defend the rights of others, but they are not the only ones. ..
image source, IACHR
Mexican diplomat Joel Hernandez is the Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
“Conflict situations occur in different parts of the region that makes defenders revitalize,” Hernandez explained to BBC Mundo by video link.
“For example, in those areas where extractive projects are launched, without the due consent of the affected communities, leaders mobilize or emerge and this puts them in the crosshairs of certain groups.”
“This explains why defenders of indigenous peoples, peasants and the environment are the main victims of attacks and attacks,” the Mexican diplomat added.
image source, Reuters
According to
Some positive steps
Despite describing the situation facing defenders in the region as “difficult”, Hernandez emphasized that in some countries steps are being taken in the right direction.
Thus he referred to the case of Brazil, whose authorities launched a file Human Rights Defenders Protection Program (PPDDH), in the states of Bahia, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Ceará, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Pará and Rio de Janeiro, which currently protects 600 activists.
Meanwhile, Honduras announced that it had taken measures in its favour 116 defenders and 25 journalists.
However, the protection mechanism for human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico is the largest on the continent and under its protection 1011 active and 495 online.
Finally, in the middle of last year, Peru announced the creation of a similar program.
The commissioner called on the authorities of the countries in the region to create conditions that enable activists to carry out their work safely and to refrain from attacking them and punishing them for any aggression against them.
“Impunity is very dangerous, because when crimes are not punished, they are called to repeat them.”said Hernandez, who highlighted the importance of an independent judiciary.
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