Quoted by G1 news website, the NGO Global Witness suffered the highest number of deaths of these defenders last year: 212. Brazil ranks third, after Colombia (64) and the Philippines (43).
Of the 24 killed in Brazil, 10 were indigenous people, nine were farmers, two were relatives of activists, one was a public official and two were classified as others.
The states with the highest losses were Para (seven), The Amazon (five), Maranhao (four) and Mato Grosso (two). Amapa, Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Parana, Pernambuco and Rondonia had one each.
Besides assassination, these defenders also suffer «common threats, harassment, criminalization and there relatives are also attacked,», Ben Leather, a senior activist from Global Witness, was quoted as saying by G1.
These people work to combat climate degradation, land misuse and defend human rights, and frequently oppose carbon-intensive industries without sustainable policies.
According to the NGO, four defenders have been killed every week since the signing of Paris Climate Agreement in 2015.
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