In 2023, the state of Veracruz recorded a resurgence of attacks against environmental defenders, after a year without reports. The Center for Environmental Law and Justice (CEMDA) documented four incidents in which community members faced criminalization, arbitrary detentions, defamation, intimidation, and physical violence.
These attacks occurred in May, July, October, and December, marking a return of violence against those who defend the environment in the state.
Among the main aggressors identified are the state government, the Prosecutor’s Office, private companies, police, and unidentified groups.
These attacks occurred in the context of the defense of the environment, land, and territory, mainly in relation to projects in the forestry, urban, and communication sector.
Context and background
Attacks are not a new phenomenon in Veracruz. Between 2019 and 2023, the state has recorded 11 events of aggression against environmental defenders, with the exception of 2022, a year in which no incidents were reported.
In 2019, the murder of a defender in Sayula de Alemán for opposing a hydrocarbon sector project was a tragic starting point for a series of attacks in the following years.
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In 2020, four attacks were documented in Actopan, Carrillo Puerto, Xalapa and Tlapacoyan, highlighting the murder of Adán Vez Lira, a renowned environmentalist and defender of biodiversity in Actopan, murdered for his opposition to mining projects. In Tlapacoyan, the kidnapping of an environmental defender was recorded in relation to conflicts linked to the energy sector.
2021 was no less violent. Two aggression events were recorded in Actopan and Tlapacoyan, one of which resulted in the discovery of the body of Miguel Vázquez Martínez, a water defender, more than three months after his kidnapping. The lack of an effective response by the Veracruz State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) was harshly criticized by relatives and organizations.
Miguel Vázquez Martínez was the founder of the Alliance of Communities and Organizations in Defense of the Bobos-Nautla and Tecolutla Rivers, which defends bodies of water in the Tlapacoyan region from hydroelectric, mining and fracking projects.
In 2023, CEMDA documented 123 aggression events against people and communities defending environmental human rights in Mexico, resulting in 282 acts of violence, including homicides, physical and sexual assaults, criminalization and disappearances. Jalisco, Oaxaca and Mexico City topped the list of states with the most attacks, with Jalisco being the most dangerous for environmental defenders.
Nationwide, 20 defenders lost their lives in 2023, with mining, communication routes and the forestry sector being the most dangerous.
The CEMDA report highlights with concern the increase in attacks related to disappearances during the last year. In total, 11 events of this type were documented, affecting 19 defenders, many of them from indigenous communities, who continue to be the most vulnerable in this fight.
Calls to authorities
Given this panorama, CEMDA has urged governments to implement comprehensive policies that protect environmental defenders, especially those from indigenous communities, women and children.
The work of environmental defenders is crucial for the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity in Mexico. They are the ones who denounce environmental devastation, organize their communities, safeguard their culture and demand justice. For CEMDA, “these people are the great guardians of the Earth.”
Source: diariodexalapa
