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By 2018, 164 environmental activists were killed, an average of three per week. The number is down from 2017, but the number of protesters being tried in court around the world has increased, says Global Witness in its latest report on people fighting for land and human rights. ;environment.
Since 2012, the independent monitoring group Global Witness publishes its report on the increasingly dangerous situation for those who protest against environmental and land crimes, such as illegal logging, l & # 39; 39, mining, poaching and other related activities.
As the world's population grows, the need for commodities, such as the foods we eat or the phones we use, also increases.
Growing demand is putting increasing pressure on land and natural resources for the delivery of goods. Without any regulation or burden on the investors who finance such projects, the main stakeholders to regulate the acts are the protesters.
The 2018 report marks the first recorded decrease in the number of deaths – it was 164, compared to 164 in 2017. But, conversely, it says that the increase in the number of activists pursued around the world is attributable to the fact that that governments and businesses have resorted to courts and judicial systems. d & # 39; oppression.
criminalization
This year, Global Witness focused some of its research on this growing trend towards criminalization. "By looking at this problem from the perspective of criminalization, rather than slaughter, you are starting to make ends meet. While badbadinations are occurring largely in Latin America and parts of South Asia, criminalization exists everywhere, "said Alice Harrison, Senior Campaigner at Global Witness.
The report highlights cases of jailed protesters or civil suits in the United States and Canada, such as the Freda Huson and Dinai Smogelgem cases of the 'Unist' tribe in New York. in British Columbia, for having "acted without legitimate authority with the purpose of stopping the project".
In the UK, three people were jailed for protesting fracking.
"It's really a global phenomenon," Harrison says.
The Philippines seizes Brazil during murders
A surprising finding in this year's report is that the Philippines is overtaking Brazil after more deaths against activists.
In 2018, 30 people were killed at land and environmental protests in the Philippines, with Brazil ranking fourth behind Colombia and India.
But that does not mean that Brazil is on the right track, according to Harrison.
"Our partners in Brazil have stated that even though the killings may have decreased, they have noticed an increase in the number of non-lethal attacks. Sometimes people are beaten or badaulted a bit before the murder, "she said, adding that the data did not give a clear indication of what was really happening on the ground.
Since the monitoring group has been collecting data on killings of environmental activists, Brazil is consistently at the top of the list. But international attention and condemnation may have led the perpetrators of violent acts against activists to take a different approach, Harrison said.
"Murder is in the news, unlike other forms of attack. This is the proof – if we ever needed it – that murder data tell only part of the story. "
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