SITUACIÓN DE DEFENSORES Y DEFENSORAS DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE EN MESOAMÉRICA

This briefing consists of testimonies presented to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on October 25, 2010, by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and environmental defenders from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama. The testimonies denounce a regional pattern of violence, criminalization, and systemic impunity targeting individuals who oppose the impacts of the mining industry in Mesoamerica.

• There is a growing regional pattern of violence against environmental defenders in the mining sector, including murders, kidnappings, torture, arbitrary detentions, and property damage. This violence is linked to the defenders' opposition to mining impacts such as water, air, and soil pollution, forced relocation, corruption, and social issues like prostitution and alcoholism.
• The increase in mining projects in the region is driven by high international metal prices and the implementation of free trade agreements and foreign investment protection treaties. However, states lack adequate legislative measures to protect human rights, often failing to obtain free, prior, and informed consent from communities and maintaining weak or non-existent environmental monitoring.
• In Mexico, environmental defenders face systemic criminalization and state-sponsored stigma, where protests are met with legal persecution to distract movements by forcing them to focus on the release of their leaders. Specific cases include the 2009 murder of Mariano Abarca in Chiapas and the killing of two federal environmental inspectors and a community activist in the State of Mexico in May 2010.
• In Guatemala, the state has granted over 400 mining licenses without community consent. Defenders of the Maya-Mam indigenous people in San Miguel Ixtahuacán, opposing the Goldcorp-operated Marlin mine, report severe impacts including water contamination and physical violence. One example is Diodora Hernandes, who was shot in the head in July 2010 by individuals linked to the company, resulting in the loss of an eye.
• Honduras is characterized by a state of helplessness for environmental defenders, exacerbated by the June 2009 coup d'état, which increased protection for the Army and Police committing human rights violations. A police 'black list' identified 135 leaders nationwide, some of whom have been murdered. Defenders like Gelsomina Munguía and Ramón Sarmiento have received death threats for opposing the Eurocanteras company.
• In El Salvador, environmental defenders opposing metallic mining have faced death threats and murders, including the 2009 disappearance and torture of Gustavo Marcelo Rivera Moreno and the murders of Ramiro Rivera Gómez and Dora Sorto (who was eight months pregnant) using M-16 military rifles. The state has consistently failed to link these crimes to mining activities.
• Panama has created a negative environment for defenders through laws that criminalize social protest (Law 14) and make environmental impact studies optional (Law 30). Concerns are raised regarding the Petaquilla Gold mine, where cyanide levels were found to be 23 times higher than permitted, and the planned exploitation of the Cerro Colorado copper deposit in the Ngöbe-Buglé Indigenous Comarca.

APA

Orellana, M. A. (2010). SITUACIÓN DE DEFENSORES Y DEFENSORAS DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE EN MESOAMÉRICA. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IACHR_Testimonies_Oct10.pdf

Chicago

Orellana, Marcos A. SITUACIÓN DE DEFENSORES Y DEFENSORAS DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE EN MESOAMÉRICA. Center for International Environmental Law, 2010. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IACHR_Testimonies_Oct10.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Orellana |first1=Marcos A. |title=SITUACIÓN DE DEFENSORES Y DEFENSORAS DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE EN MESOAMÉRICA |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=25 October 2010 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IACHR_Testimonies_Oct10.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orellana2010situacin, author = {Orellana, Marcos A.}, title = {{SITUACIÓN DE DEFENSORES Y DEFENSORAS DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE EN MESOAMÉRICA}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2010}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IACHR_Testimonies_Oct10.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }