Deadly Shade: Green Threats to Environmental Human Rights Defenders in Latin America

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the systemic human rights violations faced by environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) in Latin America, attributing the danger to weak rule of law, impunity, and conflicts with powerful governmental and corporate interests linked to development projects.

• Latin America is identified as the most dangerous global region for environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs). This situation is driven by a lack of effective human rights protections, a weak rule of law, and trends of impunity, particularly when environmental movements oppose major development projects involving corporate and governmental interests.
• Environmental defenders in Latin America face a wide array of severe human rights violations for engaging in lawful activities to expose environmental damage and abuses. These violations include killings, disappearances, torture, and violent attacks.
• Latin American States frequently fail to protect the rights of EHRDs, specifically regarding the right to life, physical integrity, and freedom from arbitrary arrest. The report notes that states often criminalize and stigmatize the lawful activities of these defenders.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2016). Deadly Shade: Green Threats to Environmental Human Rights Defenders in Latin America. https://www.ciel.org/reports/deadly-shade-green-threats-environmental-human-rights-defenders-latin-america/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Deadly Shade: Green Threats to Environmental Human Rights Defenders in Latin America. 2016. https://www.ciel.org/reports/deadly-shade-green-threats-environmental-human-rights-defenders-latin-america/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Deadly Shade: Green Threats to Environmental Human Rights Defenders in Latin America |date=9 August 2016 |url=https://www.ciel.org/reports/deadly-shade-green-threats-environmental-human-rights-defenders-latin-america/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2016deadly, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Deadly Shade: Green Threats to Environmental Human Rights Defenders in Latin America}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ciel.org/reports/deadly-shade-green-threats-environmental-human-rights-defenders-latin-america/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }