Latin America Advisor 2022-06-27 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

June 13, 2022

How Can Violence Against Indigenous Leaders Be Stopped?

Central America is among the most dangerous regions for Indigenous communities, according to the Del Río Foundation. A protest in Washington following the 2016 killing of Honduran Indigenous activist Berta Cáceres is pictured. // File Photo: Slowking4 via Creative Commons.

Q

Tránsito Melgara, an Indigenous leader in a Miskito community in the Twi Waupasa territory of Nicaragua, and his son, Terlin Melgara, were killed on May 21 in a dispute over land that also led to the deaths of two others. According to environmental group Del Río Foundation, more than 3,000 Indigenous people have been forcibly removed from their land in Nicaragua since 2015, and Central America is one of the most dangerous regions in the world for Indigenous communities and environmental activists. Why has Central America become so dangerous for Indigenous leaders and communities, and who are the actors behind the violence? How can authorities protect Indigenous lives and livelihoods more effectively, and what countries in the region have implemented the best policies and practices in this area?

A

César Muñoz Acebes, Americas senior researcher at Human Rights Watch: “It was heartbreaking for me to hear the daughters of slain environmental and Indigenous rights activist Berta Cáceres call her ‘mami’ at a meeting in Tegucigalpa in January. They told me they are carrying on her fight at the helm of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). The 2016 killing of Cáceres, a Lenca Indigenous leader, is emblematic of the dangers facing human rights defenders in Honduras. At least 10 human rights defenders were killed there in 2021, according to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In addition, 199 human rights defenders were harassed, threatened or attacked last year, 80 percent of whom were defending land rights or the environment. Significant international attention to Cáceres’ case led to trials and the conviction of eight men…”

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