indigenous groups
Wednesday 23.9.2020 Colombia - Latest Developments -
Colombia on alert with increasing massacres, social leaders killed and repression of protests
In the span of two weeks in August 2020, there were at least seven massacres in Colombia. The violence left at least 39 people dead, among them many young people and children. Read more
Wednesday 23.9.2020 Canada - Latest Developments -
Protests across political spectrum in Canada: demonstrations for liberty, defunding police
On 29th August 2020, hundreds of people demonstrated on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to protest pandemic safety measures which they say infringe on their personal rights. Read more
Monday 14.9.2020 Argentina - Latest Developments -
Argentina’s former government accused of spying on journalists, civil society leaders and others
In early June 2020, a federal prosecutor conducting an audit of Argentina’s Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI) presented evidence to the Eleventh Federal Criminal and Correctional Court, which indicated that the agency had conducted illegal espionage during the administration of former president Mauricio Macri. Read more | Read in Spanish
Tuesday 25.8.2020 Brazil - Latest Developments -
Pandemic in Brazil aggravates democratic backslide
Even as coronavirus cases increased in Brazil, President Bolsonaro and government authorities encouraged and attended pro-government demonstrations between April and July 2020. In many cases, protests by government supporters turned anti-democratic, with signs calling for a military coup, the closure of the National Congress and the dissolution of the Federal Supreme Court. Read more
Monday 24.8.2020 Honduras - Latest Developments -
Honduran defenders at high risk: two defenders killed and five Garifuna leaders missing
On 10th July 2020, 22-year-old LGBTI+ rights defender Scarleth Cáceres was shot and killed in Tegucigalpa. Cáceres was a member of civil society organisation Asociación LGBT Arcoíris de Honduras, which defends sexual diversity rights. Read more | Read in Spanish
Monday 17.8.2020 Costa Rica - Latest Developments -
Violent attacks against three Indigenous communities of Costa Rica
In July 2020, violent attacks against the Bribri, Maleku and Brörán Indigenous communities continued to escalate. On 24th July 2020, Indigenous leader José Enrique Ortíz was attacked by land invaders in Salitre. Read more | Read in Spanish
Wednesday 12.8.2020 Guatemala - Latest Developments -
Public vilification of Indigenous peoples and criminalisation of environmental defenders
On 16th July 2020, Maya Q’eqchi Indigenous leader Bernardo Caal Xol was declared a prisoner of conscience by human rights organisation Amnesty International. Bernardo Caal Xol has defended the rights of communities in Santa María de Cahabón, department of Alta Verapáz, which have resisted the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the region. Read more
Thursday 6.8.2020 Nicaragua - Latest Developments -
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights highlights continuing human rights violations
At the 44th session of the Human Rights Council on 2nd July 2020, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, provided an oral update on Nicaragua. Bachelet said her office continues to document persistent human rights violations against those who the government perceives as opponents, including human rights defenders, journalists, social leaders and former political detainees. Read more
Monday 13.7.2020 Honduras - Latest Developments -
Honduras enacts new Criminal Code enabling criminalisation of protesters and journalists
On 25th June 2020, Honduras’ new Criminal Code entered into force despite warnings from civil society that some of its provisions threaten freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly. As previously reported on the Monitor, human rights organisations have said that the code enables criminalisation of protests. Read more
Tuesday 7.7.2020 Guatemala - Latest Developments -
Indigenous defender killed and others threatened and attacked in Guatemala
On 15th June 2020, Indigenous land defender Medardo Alonzo Lucero was found dead with signs of torture in Olopa, Chiquimula department. Read more
