Det fremgår af en artikel på Global Witness’ hjemmeside mandag:
More than three people were killed a week in 2015 defending their land, forests and rivers against destructive industries.
For our new report On Dangerous Ground we documented 185 killings across 16 countries – by far the highest annual death toll on record and more than double the number of journalists killed in the same period.
The family of Michelle Campos (main picture) were among those killed. In September 2015, her father and grandfather were executed in full view of their family and friends in an attack that drove 3,000 indigenous people from their homes.
Filippinerne among most dangerous countries
Rich in coal, nickel and gold, their region of Mindanao in the Philippines is one of the most dangerous in the world for land and environmental activists, with 25 deaths in 2015 alone.
“We get threatened, vilified and killed for standing up to the mining companies on our land and the paramilitaries that protect them," said Michelle.
"My father, grandfather and school teacher were just three of countless victims. We know the murderers – they are still walking free in our community. We are dying and our government does nothing to help us.”
Global Witness are calling for urgent, meaningful action to end the rising tide of violence which – despite the high profile murder of Berta Caceres earlier this year – is largely escaping international attention.
Shocking numbers
These numbers are shocking, and evidence that the environment is emerging as a new battleground for human rights.
Across the world industry is pushing ever deeper into new territory, driven by consumer demand for products like timber, minerals and palm oil.
Increasingly communities that take a stand are finding themselves in the firing line of companies’ private security, state forces and a thriving market for contract killers.
Minedrift, landbrug, vandkraft og illegal træhugst
The worst hit countries in 2015 were Brazil (50 killings), the Philippines (33) and Colombia (26). Conflicts over mining were the number one cause of killings in 2015, with agribusiness, hydroelectric dams and logging also key drivers of violence.
In 2015, almost 40% of victims were from indigenous groups.
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