In 2023, a distressing total of 126 human rights defenders were killed in the Americas, as reported by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR). The majority of these violent acts targeted defenders of the environment and land, indigenous community leaders, and community leaders of African descent.
The deadliest period was the final quarter of the year, during which 54 human rights advocates lost their lives. Colombia accounted for most of these murders, alone witness to 34 killings during this period. According to reports from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Colombia remains a dangerous hotspot for rights defenders. Despite calls from Amnesty International urging the Colombian government to ensure proper protection, the country recorded the highest number of environmental defender murders globally in 2022.
Meanwhile, Brazil recorded 10 murders of human rights defenders in the latter months of 2023, echoing its own troubling history of violence against such advocates. A study conducted last year discovered over 1,171 cases of violent acts against human rights defenders in Brazil between 2019 and 2022, the brunt of which fell upon indigenous advocates.
The problem is widespread, with three recorded murders in Guatemala, including the assassination of indigenous leader Noé Gómez Barrera. The international community responded with outrage, with 119 organizations demanding Guatemalan authorities investigate and hold accountable those involved. Inspired by a concerning report from Transparency International, critics have pointed towards the country’s record of granting impunity to the elite for corrupt practices.
Further down south, the IACHR reported four murders in Mexico, two in Honduras, and one in Peru. Apart from these grim fatalities, there were also reports of continued detention of human rights defenders in Venezuela, including human rights activist Rocío San Miguel. Accused of participating in an alleged plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro, her case now sits amidst a larger probe of potential crimes against humanity by the Venezuelan government, being considered by the International Criminal Court.
According to the IACHR, the surest path to safeguarding human rights defenders involves battling impunity. In the face of the significant barriers posed by a lack of an independent judiciary, as stated by Transparency International, the IACHR has called on governments to undergo thorough and impartial investigations of the incidents. Governments are also urged to incorporate an intersectional gender and racial/ethnic approach in addressing these crimes and to implement reparation measures for the victims’ families. In its statement, the IACHR underscored that “human rights defenders are a cornerstone in the process of ensuring and consolidating stable and lasting democracies.”