The U.S. State Department and other global leaders on Tuesday denounced the slaying of another environmental leader in rural Honduras, adding to mounting concern of ongoing violence against environmentalists in Latin America.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro confirmed the killing of Juan López on Saturday in the rural Caribbean region of Colón, where a number of environmentalists battling mining projects have been killed in recent years. Castro called his death a “vile murder” and promised to investigate the killing.
“I express my solidarity with his family, comrades and friends. Justice for Juan López,” she posted on X.
López was gunned down in the municipality of Tocoa after spending years combating mining companies to preserve the region’s rivers and forests, according to Human Rights Watch. Few other details were immediately released by authorities.
Three activists from his same organization, Network Against Anti-Union Violence (RedContraVA), were killed last year.
Before his death, López had been provided protection by Honduran authorities and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights because he had received multiple death threats. (https://apnews.com/article/honduras-environmental-defender-juan-lopez-killed-cff47b2b0deb29272da35903bd294898#:~:text=MEXICO%20CITY%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The%20U.S.%20State)
