"Another Appalling Year" of Violence Against Land Defenders as Nearly 200 Killed Worldwide in 2023

At least 196 environmental defenders were killed last year, most of them Indigenous or Afro-descendant. The deadliest country was Colombia, where at least 79 land, water and climate defenders were killed. “2023 was yet another appalling year for those who want to protect their lands and their environment,” and this violence is likely to “intensify as the consequences of the climate crisis become more apparent,” says Laura Furones, senior adviser to the land and environmental defenders campaign at Global Witness, which published the numbers in a new report.