Environmental leaders face intimidation and violence around the world for speaking out in defense of their communities, the water and the land. Central America, and Honduras in particular, remained the most dangerous place in the world for environmentalists in 2023.
On September 14, 2024, renowned environmental activist Juan López was murdered while leaving his church in Honduras.
Juan belonged to an environmental organization in Tocoa, Honduras, that was working to preserve tropical forests and rivers from pollution by mining and hydro-electric projects. Despite the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urgently requesting the Honduran government to strengthen protections for Juan and other members of his organization, Juan is the fourth member of the group to be killed since the beginning of 2023.
Maryknoll Lay Missioner Sarah Bueter joined an emergency delegation to Honduras to be in solidarity with Juan’s family and community. “People shared with us his public speeches, homilies, and canticles that celebrated the beauty of creation, Sarah writes. “Juan worked against death, but even more so, he worked for life.”
In El Salvador, the “Santa Marta Five” water defenders are currently on trial.
Local organizations describe the charges against five environmental defenders and community leaders from Santa Marta as a clear case of political persecution. Among those arrested are prominent leaders of the grassroots movement that won the world's first ban on metallic mining in 2017, which local organizations warn President Bukele seeks to overturn.
Take action
- Click here to read Sarah’s reflection on her emergency delegation to Honduras.
- Click here to join the #EyesOnSantaMarta Pledge to stay informed on the situation facing the Santa Maria Five and be ready to respond should these environmental leaders not be acquitted.
- Click here to register for virtual event “The Corporate Assault on Honduras” on October 22, 7:30 ET hosted by the Institute for Policy Studies.
- Click here to read the report by Global Witness on the environmentalists assassinated around the world in 2023.
Thank you for your support.