The violence pursued by environmental defense in Chihuahua keeps its inhabitants on alert. For this reason, on November 19, when Artemio Iglesias disappeared, no one hesitated to share the search photograph pointing to his work in Salvemos los Cerros (SLC), where a few days earlier they had received death threats for their work in the protection of the Coronel Guaguachic Hill, located in the city of Chihuahua. It wasn't the first time.
Before his disappearance, Artemio was with his colleagues in the Rubén Jaramillo Addition neighborhood, an indigenous settlement located on the hill, where the organization confronts a criminal group dedicated to extortion and the illegal sale of land belonging to the natural area.
“We have received slander; messages on our social networks; harassment from unknown people; direct attacks in our homes where dead animals have been thrown at us more than 7 times, including excrement,” said Luis Andrés Rivera, spokesman for Salvemos Los Cerros.
Defenders link the perpetrators of these aggressions to the government, companies and criminal groups that are being affected by the defense of territory and water.
The organization, Rivera recalled, was founded in 2015 by several neighborhoods of neighbors. The main purpose was to protect the Coronel Guaguachic hill where, in addition to criminal groups, the real estate projects of the company CTU (Technical Urban Planning Corporation) stand out, which has been involved in the dispossession of communities in the Sierra Tarahumara, accusing its inhabitants.
The battle also ranges from environmental education to legal defense for the Chuvíscar and Sacramento rivers. Both cross the city of Chihuahua and since they are sacred Apache territories, they are not only environmentally important, but also culturally.
Although Artemio Iglesias was located that same day at night, the event recalled the case of Francisco Benito, who was a member of the organization and was assassinated last December.
“The disappearance of Artemio put us on alert because at the end of last year, a colleague from the Rubén Jaramillo neighborhood was murdered. It was an extremely strange situation where he appeared with signs of blows and hung in his house. And it wasn't anyone from the colony who discovered his body, which is also very strange,” recalled the SLC spokesman.
That day, an unknown person called to report the murder of Francisco Benito. Neighbors recall that at least a convoy of 20 patrols from the National Guard, the State Police and the Municipal Police were piled up in the narrow streets of the hill.
On the other hand, when they have requested security from criminal groups, the authorities have not arrived, complained Luis Andrés.
Reality and data
In the last nine years, from 2012 to 2020, 564 attacks were perpetrated against environmental defenders in Mexico, according to the annual reports of the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (Cemda). On the list, Oaxaca is the most affected, followed by Sonora, State of Mexico, Puebla, Chihuahua, Guerrero and Veracruz.
Murder is evidenced as the most common type of lethal assault, followed by threats, acts of intimidation, criminalization and physical assaults, mainly of a sexual nature, in the case of women. In recent years, the government is responsible for 40% of these attacks, according to the report.
“With regard to impunity, as a factor in the increase (of aggressions), we identified that most cases of attacks against environmental defenders are not being investigated, perpetrators are not being punished and, therefore, the victims are not being repaired,” explained Luz Coral Hernández, lawyer for CEMDA.
Some other data collected, which allow us to break down the aggressions experienced by environmental defenders, relate to the sectors most affected. Historically, the forestry sector has been the one that most concentrates attacks, particularly in the northern part of the country due to cases of deforestation and illegal logging.
In an interview, lawyer Hernández explains that there is a relationship between the high number of attacks, the federal entity and the type of sector where the defense of the territory is exercised. For example, in recent years, the construction of communication roads or electrical energy has stood out among the main megaprojects of the current six-year period.
However, the data show only part of the reality. For example, in 2019 and 2020, while identifying the government as the main aggressor agent, there is another 40% that is not identified.
“The lack of data shows a lot of the problem that occurs in Mexico with regard to the situation of environmental defenders. Today, despite the fact that there are protection mechanisms for defenders, we have no official sources, we have no record or timely follow-up of the cases, aggressions, human rights violations or crimes that are being prepared against environmental defenders,” explained Luz Coral Hernández.
Stigma and Prevention
A year has passed since the assassination of Francisco Benito in Chihuahua and, so far, there is no resolution.
“On the one hand, we have channels of dialogue with the government (of Chihuahua) that we have opened thanks to citizen participation, but at the same time there is great impunity in terms of security. Our complaints to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Police and the National Guard have made no progress, some have been dismissed,” added the SLC spokesman.
The same thing happened this year with Irma Galindo missing since October 27. The forest ranger of Mixtec origin reported illegal logging in her community in the south of Oaxaca and had been attacked before when they burned down her house.
“The answer to why this continues is a lack of political will. Especially the Executive and Legislative branches should be creating an appropriate mechanism that can implement and monitor compliance with a comprehensive public policy of protection. Today's mechanism is outdated, its economic resources and human capacities do not meet current needs,” replied the Cemda lawyer.
Faced with this, without waiting for a response, environmental defense groups and organizations continue the battle. At the close of this text, Salvemos los Cerros was in the process of requesting the publication of the supporting technical study they carried out with a view to declaring the Cerro Grande Natural Monument in Chihuahua.
Regarding the attacks, Luis Andrés commented on the preparation of registration logs, as well as the support of other environmental organizations.
“We will have to continue taking our own measures because the state, the municipality and the Federation have not responded at all. Despite the fact that we have open channels and meetings, there is no forcefulness in the actions of the three levels of government to address our complaints and complaints,” he said.
Comentarios (0)