Content Note: The following includes disturbing information on violence against Indigenous Peoples. We have strived to provide information on each individual in celebration of their lives and work, without gratuitous detail on their deaths. While we have worked to avoid linking to sources with graphic imagery, please note that the sources linked may contain further details, and images may be changed by websites after we have reviewed them.
Globally, 64.8% of all attacks against defenders were against those defending land and territories. Latin America is still one of the most dangerous regions to be an Indigenous rights and environmental defender, with three out of four assassinations of environmental defenders taking place there. Indigenous defenders face a double threat: defending rights and being Indigenous. In 2023, 49% of murdered environmental or land defenders were Indigenous or Afro-descendants, a disproportionately high figure given that Indigenous Peoples comprise roughly 6% of the global population.
It is important to take into consideration that killings are just the tip of the iceberg, and that before reaching that point, a variety of violence has occurred. According to the latest data from the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders, for every killing of an Indigenous land and environmental defender documented in 2022, at least five non-lethal attacks took place.
As part of our Advocacy Program, Cultural Survival tracks violence against Indigenous defenders in an effort to draw connections amongst these cases and demonstrate that this crisis, rather than being a set of unconnected attacks on individual people, is systemic.
We do this work to raise awareness about this systemic persecution of Indigenous defenders, but also for the sake of memory. The Indigenous defenders who were killed throughout 2024 will never be forgotten by their families and communities. The gap they leave in their communities and cultures cannot be filled, and this gap is equally important outside of their communities: these are the people defending our planet from environmental collapse and keeping alive critical knowledge on how to protect our ecosystems and how to relate to one another.
Cultural Survival’s compilation of cases is not exhaustive. Our information comes from other media sources and from communities and partner organizations. However, we cannot cover the full scope, and there are certainly cases that do not reach us. Although those people are not specifically named in this In Memoriam, this in no way implies less severity or importance. Our work also aims to honor all those, who, for a variety of reasons, we could not publicly identify, and whose struggles will continue to resonate in their communities, territories, and families.
Our purpose is to make all names and legacies known regardless of how much attention the case received, especially uplifting those less covered by the media. When we were informed of otherwise unpublished cases by community partners, we ensured that it was safe to publish, always obtaining the community’s consent. Every individual was a beloved person, a community and family member, and someone who is mourned not only for the work they did, but for who they were.
For most cases, a few months after the murder, impunity reigns. In some Latin American countries, the general impunity rate is 90% or more, meaning 10 crimes (or fewer) out of 100 are properly investigated and cleared by the justice system. These figures are optimistic in comparison to crimes against Indigenous defenders. Authorities do not put much effort into investigations related to Indigenous defenders for a variety of reasons, namely due to the frequency of these incidents taking place in remote locations with limited access, collusion of authorities with illegal armed actors or multinational corporations, and a general lack of interest in problems concerning Indigenous Peoples intrinsic to State discrimination against them.
In the profiles below, we remember and mourn 41 Indigenous defenders who were killed in 2024, of which a very high percentage were extremely young. We also recognize and condemn attacks, disappearances, criminalization, and other forms of violence committed against Indigenous defenders worldwide. We acknowledge that our scope is limited and that violence against Indigenous Peoples, and in particular against defenders of rights and the environment, far surpasses the data that we were able to collect. We honor all of the Peoples and communities who have been affected, and we commit to continuing to work for justice for Indigenous land and rights defenders alongside the affected communities.
Defenders are listed by country in alphabetical order, then chronologically by date of the incident.
Argentina
Argentina is home to 35 officially recognized Indigenous Peoples who have specific constitutional rights at the federal level and in the majority of the provinces. Argentina ratified International Labor Organization Convention 169 in 2000 and has been in effect with the status of an international treaty since 2001. Also in effect and incorporated into domestic law are the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous Peoples in Argentina currently face numerous challenges to their recognition and territorial preservation. Much of this has taken place through the violation of constitutional and treaty rights by President Javier Milei’s government, which has expressed interest in exploiting the natural resources found in Indigenous territories.
In 2013, Argentina enacted Law No. 26.160, which was subsequently extended via Law No. 26.554, known as the Emergency Law in Indigenous Lands. This legislation suspended evictions of Indigenous communities from the lands they have traditionally occupied, including lands managed by national parks. On December 9, 2024, Law 26.160 was repealed, opening the door to a landscape of persecution, evictions, repression, and prosecution against Indigenous Peoples in Argentina.Juan Carlos Villa
On Sunday, August 11, 2024, Río Negro police officers entered the home of Juan Carlos Villa (Mapuche), firing their weapons. Juan Carlos had not previously been informed about any search or arrest warrant. There were five people in the house at the time, including Juan Carlos’ son, Emanuel, who was cooking for the family and fled when the shooting began.
Juan Carlos was arrested and assaulted by police officer Adrián Lamadrid, who shot him multiple times , also injuring Emanuel. Most of the media coverage portrayed the incident as a confrontation between Juan Carlos and police officers. However, the facts revealed that the only gunshots came from police officers, making Juan Carlos the victim of an execution.
As a result of the dispossession and genocide of the Mapuche Peoples in Argentina, the defense of their territories has also been subject to criminalization, persecution, and murder. The killing of Juan Carlos illustrates the violence and racism prevailing in Argentina towards Indigenous Peoples that defend land, water, and biodiversity.
Brazil
Nega Pataxó
Photo: Ambienta
Nega Pataxó was a professor and leader of the Pataxó Hã Hã Hãe People who worked with youth and women. She was assassinated on January 21, 2024, at the hand of ruralists (businesspeople and owners from the agricultural sector) in an organized attack in which landowners surrounded the community with trucks and shot at them. Two other leaders were also injured.
With the aid of military police in Bahía and the complicity of federal authorities, this group of ruralists , who call themselves “Invasión Cero,” tried to take the Caramuru territory, the traditional territory of the Pataxó People, in the municipality of Potiraguá.
Chief Nailton, one of the leaders injured in the attack, has been a powerful leader in the struggle for the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil for decades, organizing workshops on retomada (land reclamation). His perseverance in the defense of his People’s territory has been evident in the recovery of over 50,000 hectares of the Indigenous land Caramuru-Catarina Paraguaçu, along with other communities.Neri Ramos da SilvaFred Souza Garcete
Colombia
Those who dedicate their lives to protecting their territories, maintaining ancestral knowledge, and caring for life continuously find their lives threatened. This causes instability and imbalance in the harmony and buen vivir of Indigenous Peoples and, ultimately, all of humanity. In a UN report covering 2016 (the year in which the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, and the Colombian government signed the Peace Accords) through September 2024, 248 murders of environmental leaders in Colombia were documented. The majority of the victims were Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and campesino, and they were murdered primarily by illegal armed groups.
These statistics place Colombia among the countries with the highest rates of homicides against environmental defenders, violence that primarily affects the Pacific, Amazon, and Orinoco regions. The majority of murders take place in the departments of Cauca, Chocó, and Nariño— areas that overlap with a greater presence of FARC dissidents, paramilitary, and drug trafficking groups like the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, also known as the Gulf Clan.
Despite this alarming landscape of violence, Colombia’s recent ratification of the Escazú agreement was a significant step towards the protection of environmental defenders, as it promotes guaranteed access to information and justice for those who safeguard the land and natural resources.Rubén Darío Dagua
On January 10, 2024, the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca reported the kidnapping of Nasa leader Rubén Darío Dagua in the municipality of Buenos Aires, northern Cauca. On January 16, the Association reported that the Frente Jaime Martínez (a FARC dissident group) had delivered Rubén Darío’s lifeless body.
This situation demands an urgent response from the Colombian government and from the international community to guarantee the protection of Indigenous leaders and their communities. It is essential that effective measures are implemented to safeguard their human rights and to promote a safe environment for the defense of their lives and territories. Rubén’s leadership is a legacy for the cultural resistance and the assertion of rights in a challenging context.José Alirio Chocué MolanoEywar Yamid Moran CampoDairo Yovani AquiteCarmelina Yule PaviYoli Áchito RojasMary Emilse Bailarín DomicóSandra Lorena AnaconaDeyby Yair Bueno VillanoLuis Eduardo VivasEyber Danilo Poto PazúBruno Pambelé MorenoHernando Pai CuasaluzanJhon Jairo ForasteroDino Ui MusicueWilfrido Segundo Izquierdo ArroyoVíctor Alfonso Yule MedinaCarlos Andrés Ascue TumboJulio Zalabata LuqueDaniel NolavitaDidier Yesid Vélez OgariDarwin Falla TeteyéJosé Emanuel Oca CuspianLorenzo Pascal GuangaAlexander Pilcue Tenorio
Ecuador
Alberto Quiñónez and Didson de la Cruz Quiñónez
Alberto Quinónez and his 12-year-old nephew, Didson de la Cruz Quiñónez, were leaders of the Chachi People. They were murdered on February 20, 2024 in an attack perpetrated by armed groups. These events are increasingly common in the province of Esmeraldas, a region that has been historically affected by illegal mining operations that have issued threats to Indigenous communities that live in the area.
Alberto and Didson belonged to the Tseipi community and were representatives of the Chachi Center Federation of Ecuador. Their territories are affected by plantations of African palm, illegal logging, and illegal gold mining.
This tragic incident reiterates the constant risks that Indigenous leaders face in their fight to defend their rights and territories.
Mexico
There are 68 Indigenous Peoples in Mexico, who give life to an enriching linguistic diversity and to an ancestral and cultural knowledge that are the backbone of the Mexican people. In spite of having signed ILO Convention 169 in 1990 and acknowledging itself as a pluricultural nation in 1992 after modifying the article 2 of its Constitution, these efforts have not been sufficient to eliminate inequality and guarantee respect to the diverse Indigenous Peoples and cultures in Mexico.
Indigenous Peoples in Mexico must contend with economic and development models that undermine their ways of life and culture, altering biodiversity and directly affecting their territories. Many leaders that fight to protect their lands and cultures have raised their voices to prevent or stop the extraction of natural resources that affect their communities and livelihoods. These actions have resulted in violence, murders, disappearances, harassment, and criminalizationof environmental defenders.
The most recent report from Global Witness indicates that over 70% of defenders murdered in 2023 in Mexico were Indigenous, with a total of 18 murders of land and environmental defenders recorded. It is evident that defending the land has become a cause that puts those who raise their voices in danger, when all they want is to live in respect and harmony with Mother Earth.Palemón Vásquez Cajero
Photo: Desinformémonos
On the night of March 18, 2024, Palemón Vásquez (Mixteco), 60, was murdered in a motorcycle drive-by shooting in the community of Santa Elena Comaltepec, municipality of Jamiltepec, Oaxaca. He was on his way home when the incident occurred.
Palemón Vásquez was a teacher and Indigenous education activist who worked to defend the rights of his People and all Indigenous Peoples. As Secretary of the ejido (communal land), he defended the land by protesting different megaprojects. His murder is evidence of the violence that is inflicted upon those who fight to protect their territories from development projects invading Indigenous lands to extract resources.Rafael Bautista Cruz and Eutimio Medina HerreraMarcelo PérezAdriana and Virginia Ortiz GarcíaRigoberto Martínez Sandoval
Peru
Victorio Dariquebe Gerawairey
Photo: Mongabay
Victorio Dariquebe Gerawairey, a leader of the Harakmbut People, was murdered on April 19, 2024, in the region of Madre de Dios, an area that has been historically impacted by illegal mining.
Victorio was a park ranger in the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, a protected natural area in the Peruvian Amazon. He was followed by some men in an attack where his son, Edson Dariquebe, was also injured but able to escape. His family believes that illegal miners were responsible for this attack.
Victorio was a speaker of his People’s native language, which is an endangered language, making his death a cultural loss for the Harakmbut People. One of his nephews remembered him this way: “My uncle was an incorruptible man. He did not let himself be intimidated by illegal parties; that is why he was threatened. He cared about his work and his community.”Mariano Isacama FelicianoGerardo Keimari Enrique
