Defenders of Territories and Collective Rights of the People


“Duque´s administration has no political will to comply with the Peace Accords”

Vía Campesina´s 3rd Solidarity Mission will take place from March 29 to April 2 in three Colombian regions: Cauca, Tolima and Sumapaz. Nury Martínez, member of the Agricultural National Union Federation (FENSUAGRO) and the Political Coordination of La Vía Campesina South America, shared details about the Mission with Real World Radio. In order to verify if -and how- the Peace…

Malaysian Court rules in favor of activist accused of defamation by transnational mining company

The Federal Court, the highest court of Malaysia, unanimously dismissed an appeal filed by Raub Australian Gold Mining (RAGM), a gold mining company that had sued activist Sherly Hue for defamation. Hue is part of the resistance against the company´s operations in Bukit Koman, Pahang State. The Court´s decision issued in mid-February, which puts an end to the suit that…

Outrage over assassination of Sergio Rojas in Costa Rica

On March 18th, Sergio Rojas, a Bribri indigenous leader, was murdered after being shot 15 times in Yeri, Salitre area, in southern Costa Rica. As a member of the National Coordination of the National Front of Indigenous Peoples (FRENAPI), Rojas fought for the restitution of ancestral lands and the conservation of native ecosystems. Local organizations condemned this “vile murder” and…

Life cannot be dammed

March 14th marks the International Day of Action against Dams and for Rivers. Mobilizations around the world denounced the socioenvironmental impacts of these construction works that operate in hydroelectric and mining projects. The Climate Justice and Energy Program of Friends of the Earth International expressed its solidarity with the communities affected by hydroelectric dams, especially the Lenca indigenous people defending…

Military police officers arrested for murder of Marielle Franco

Retired military police officer Ronnie Lessa (48) and former military police Élcio Vieira de Queiroz (46) were arrested in the early morning of March 12, accused of being the ones who executed Marielle Franco, councilwoman of PSOL Party and her driver, Anderson Gomes, almost a year ago. The arrest was made by the Homicide Division of the Civil Police of…

Highlights of Friends of the Earth International’s work through communications

Take a journey through our campaigns and top moments from 2017 and 2018: demonstrations and public actions, work programs and the hottest topics, the painful and most rewarding moments. This film was shared in November 2018 at Friends of the Earth International’s General Meeting - the highest decision-making body of the federation, as part of a communications’ report.

Fighting for people’s rights worldwide

Three years ago, Honduran activist and community leader Berta Cáceres was brutally murdered. Every year, around 200 environmental defenders are killed or assaulted around the world - crimes that are often linked to multinational companies violating human rights. Only a binding agreement on a global basis could put an end to this horrendous injustice. On 2nd of March 2016 Berta was…

Let us organize ourselves, humankind!

That night of March 2nd, 2016, when a group of hitmen broke into Berta´s home in La Esperanza (Intibucá), Gustavo Castro was there because he had traveled to present a workshop for the members of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). The hitmen shot and killed Berta, and injured Gustavo and left him for dead.…

“Berta put her body and soul into each and every one of the words she said”

March 2nd marks the third anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, a political femicide that attempted to silence the struggles led by this Honduran defender together with the Lenca people and the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). With this crime, they tried to silence the struggle against the installation of extractivist projects such as Agua…

A month on from Brumadinho

On February 20th, a Brazilian court ordered transnational corporation Vale SA to grant every person affected by the Brumadinho environmental massacre a minimum wage for 12 months, and in addition, each family will receive 400 reals, which is the value of a basic food basket in that South American country. The Movement of People Affected by Dams in Brazil (MAB)…