Berta Zuñiga Cáceres, daughter of slain Honduran activist Berta Cáceres speaks at a vigil in New York in April (image: Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos).
“The pattern of killings in many countries is becoming an epidemic,” Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights said on a recent visit to Brazil, which Global Witness’s report entitled On Dangerous Ground lists as the most deadly country for those opposing damaging infrastructure projects and resource extraction.
A record annual toll of 185 murders of environmental activists was recorded across 67 different countries in 2015 with the highest concentration of killings in Latin America. The figure represents a 59% increase on the previous year. Brazil (50), the Philippines (33), Colombia (26), Peru (12) and Nicaragua (12), make up the top five most dangerous countries, says the report.
