New Global Witness figures bring the total up to 2,253 from 2012 to 2024
At least 146 land and environmental defenders were killed or disappeared* around the world last year defending their land, communities or the environment, a new report by Global Witness reveals.
Today the investigative organisation published its annual report on land and environmental defenders, titled Roots of Resistance, which showed that the total number of defenders killed or disappeared from 2012 to 2024 now comes to at least 2,253.
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Global Witness documented 117 defender killings last year (82%) in Latin America, with 48 in Colombia, which had the most killings globally for the third year in a row. This is followed by Guatemala, where 20 defenders were killed in 2024 – up from four in 2023.
At least 18 defenders were killed in Mexico and at least 12 in Brazil. The Philippines recorded seven killings, while Honduras and Indonesia recorded five killings each.
A total of four defenders were disappeared in 2024 and have not been found: one in Chile, one in Honduras, one in Mexico and one in the Philippines.
Once again, Indigenous Peoples were victims of around a third of lethal attacks, despite making up around 6% of the global population.
Lead author of the new Global Witness report, Laura Furones, said:
“Year after year, land and environmental defenders – those protecting our forests, rivers, and lands across the world – continue to be met with unspeakable violence. They are being hunted, harassed, and killed – not for breaking laws, but for defending life itself.
“Standing up to injustice should never be a death sentence. It is critical that governments and companies turn the tide to uphold defenders’ rights and protect them rather than persecute them. We desperately need defenders to keep our planet safe. If we turn our backs on them, we forfeit our future.”
A total of 29 cases last year were linked to mining and extractives, eight to logging, and four to agribusiness. Over 62% of cases (91 out of 146) were linked to land or land reform.
The top three identifiable perpetrators include organised crime, behind 42 cases, followed by private military, with 17, and hitmen, with 13.
Global Witness’s new report urges governments to dismantle the multilayered systems that enable violence against defenders to continue. This includes addressing the lack of rights defenders have over land and territory, strengthening weak national legal systems, and ensuring defenders at risk are given adequate state protection – with the report highlighting these issues within its case studies.
Colombian defender living under state protection Jani Silva said:
“As this report shows, the vast majority of defenders under attack are not defenders by choice – including myself. We are defenders because our homes, land, communities and lives are under theat. So much more must be done to ensure communities have rights and that those who stand up for them are protected.”
While the statistics on killings and disappearances last year are lower than in 2023 (196 compared to 146), alternative tactics to silence defenders appear to be on the rise globally, such as abductions and criminalisation.
The use of criminalisation has grown in countries like the US, UK, Australia and in the EU in the last few years, with the introduction of new draconian laws resulting in environmental protestors being handed harsh and disproportionately lengthy sentences.
Globally, existing laws are being weaponised against defenders to shut down their activism, with states charging them for crimes such as tax evasion or terrorism.
Global Witness Project Lead Rachel Cox said:
“States across the world are weaponizing their legal systems to silence those speaking out in defence of our planet.
“Amid rampant resource use, escalating environmental pressure, and a rapidly closing window to limit warming to 1.5C, they are treating land and environmental defenders like they are a major inconvenience instead of canaries in a coal mine about to explode.
“Meanwhile, governments are failing to hold those responsible for defender attacks to account – spurring the cycle of killings with little consequence. World leaders must acknowledge the role they must play in ending this once and for all.”
Methodology
*Since 2012, Global Witness has documented killings and disappearances of land and environmental defenders globally. Historically, disappearances have been included in the headline “killed” figure where a defender has been missing for more than six months. For greater clarity, Global Witness now indicates a distinction between the two and will continue doing so for future reports.
