Central America continues to be one of the most dangerous regions for environmental defenders, according to Global Witness

Global Witness is an international organization that for years has been responsible for monitoring crimes committed against environmental defenders.

According to its global report, 146 human rights defenders were murdered in 2024, a decrease from the 196 in 2023. Despite this death, the organization warns that violence has mutated into other forms, such as criminalization, harassment, and threats.

Eighty-two percent of the murders occurred against defenders in Latin America, resulting in a total of 117 deaths. For the third consecutive year, Colombia topped the list with 48 homicides.

Yet, Central America remains one of the most dangerous regions for land defenders. Guatemala ranked second with 20 murders, Honduras ranked sixth with six, and Nicaragua ranked eighth with four land defenders killed.

In Guatemala, violence increased fivefold in one year, ranking it the country with the highest number of murders of land defenders per capita. Since 2012, 106 murders and disappearances have been documented in the country, half of which involve Indigenous people.

Among the factors that fuel violence, the report highlights the unequal distribution of land in the country, which has historically benefited elites, the violation of the rights of indigenous peoples, and the spread of organized crime.

In Honduras, the number of cases decreased by six, compared to the 18 reported in 2023. Five people were murdered, and one is missing. Most cases were reported in the Colón area, in the north of the country, a heavily militarized region marked by violence.

One of those killed was activist Juan López, who worked to defend the Guapinol and San Pedro rivers against mining. The trial for his murder is ongoing.

In Nicaragua, the Ocampo Cruz brothers, members of the Miskitu community of Kirará in the north of the country, were murdered in an attempt to dispossess them of their lands.

The young Mayangna Roy Devis Blandón was murdered for denouncing the invasion of protected territories by settlers.