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Isidro Baldenegro assassinated in Mexico: another case of lethal collision between environmental activism and organized crime

The murder of the indigenous leader Isidro Baldenegro López has once again revealed the impunity with which organized crime acts in the face of human rights defenders. Español

By Laura Ávila
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Indigenous environmental activist Isidro Baldenegro López. 2005 Goldman Prize ceremony. All rights reserved.

Isidro Baldenegro López was shot dead on January 15 in the Coloradas de la Virgen community in the Guadalupe and Calvo municipality of Chihuahua state. The murder quickly drew attention to collusion between drug trafficking cartels and the illegal timber industry, which López was known for speaking out against.

"Tribal figures [cacicazgos] involved with the illegal timber trade and organized crime are the material and intellectual authors" of the crime, a human rights activist told BBC Mundo under condition of anonymity as a safety measure.

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