Defenders of Territories and Collective Rights of the People


COPINH calls for international support during David Castillo trial

On 30 March, Bertha Zúniga, General Coordinator of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations from Honduras (COPINH) held an online press conference, in which she called for the support of human rights organisations and activists during the trial of the former president of Desarrollos Energéticos SA (DESA) company. David Castillo is accused of being one of the masterminds behind…

Brumadinho: Two years of impunity

25 January 2020 marked two years since the worst environmental crime in the history of Brazil: the collapse of a giant mining dam operated by Vale S.A., located in Córrego do Feijao, near Brumadinho, Minas Gerais State. The thousands of people affected have still not received adequate reparations for the impacts they suffered. The Brazilian Movement of Peoples Affected by Dams (MAB)…

Covid-19 : Le chemin des peuples de la crise à la reprise

La Radio Mundo Real et les Amis de la Terre International présentent cette émission spéciale, qui vise à mettre en évidence les impacts de Covid-19 et des réponses nationales à la pandémie sur les peuples et les territoires. Nous examinons comment les mouvements sociaux et les groupes membres des Amis de la Terre ont répondu à la pandémie, nous analysons…

Covid-19: The peoples’ path from crisis to recovery

Real World Radio and Friends of the Earth International present this special show, which aims to highlight the impacts of Covid-19 and national responses to the pandemic on peoples and territories. We look at how social movements and Friends of the Earth groups have responded to the pandemic, analyse the politics behind the health crisis, and explore the possibilities for…

African Peoples Tribunal demands a radical shift in the way transnational corporations operate

The African Peoples Tribunal, organised in Lagos and online by Friends of the Earth Africa, saw testimonies on cases from 10 African countries. The 24-28 November event ended with a call on governments to urgently ensure that human rights are respected and protected. It also denounced the collusion between governments and transnational corporations as objectionable and unacceptable. “This was probably…

Irregularities surrounding police investigation in to death of Indonesian human rights activist Golfrid Siregar

Golfrid Siregar, member of the legal advocacy team of WALHI North Sumatra was found unconscious on a roadside on 3 October 2019, and died three days later in hospital. Despite being found fatally injured under very suspicious circumstances, the police said that his death was the result of a traffic accident. “Last year, the police held a press conference regarding…

South African organisations urge government to investigate murder of anti-mining activist

Mama Fikile Ntshangase was shot dead at her home in Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal province, by four gunmen on 22 October. She was Vice-Chairperson of a sub-committee of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation (MCEJO) and actively opposed the expansion of the Tendele coal mine near her home. “We feel that she was actually the target, and in killing her, the aim…

Assessment of the sixth round of negotiations for the UN Binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights

The Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group that is negotiating a Binding Treaty on transnational corporations and human rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council ended its sixth round of negotiations on 30 October in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the social movements and organizations from all continents that are working for its adoption, the Binding Treaty should seek to ensure access to justice…

UN resumes negotiations for urgently needed binding treaty

This was the title of a virtual press conference held on Tuesday which urged States to engage to put an end to the impunity of transnational corporations. The press conference (a recording of which is available below) - hosted by the  Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity - took place after the start of…

Palestine: Activist Abu Saker and his son arrested

In the early hours of Wednesday 29 July, Abu Saker and his 22-year-old son Sakher were arrested by Israeli soldiers and held for 20 hours, without food or water. The police accused them of "stealing water" from Israel's national water company, Mekorot, which -in fact- "illegally appropriates Palestinians to serve, among others, Israel's settlement project", reported the website Stop The…