Watchdog: At least 200 environmental activists slain in 2016

NEW DELHI — At least 200 land and environmental activists were slain in 2016 protecting forests, rivers and land from mining, logging and agricultural companies, the highest annual number on record, a watchdog group said Thursday.

India had a threefold increase in such killings but Latin America remained the deadliest region with some 60 per cent of the world’s deaths of activists protecting local resources, London-based Global Witness said in a report. The deaths, which rose from 185 the previous year, were reported in 24 countries compared to 16 in 2015.

“The fact that the upward curve of killings has continued ... suggests that governments and business continue to prioritize short-term profit over human lives,” Global Witness campaigner Billy Kyte told The Associated Press.

Mining, oil, agriculture and logging were the industries most associated with activist murders. Kyte said such interests are encroaching more on previously untouched areas and coming into conflict in particular with Indigenous peoples, who accounted for 40 per cent of the victims documented in the report.

The group said the true number of killings is likely much higher. Activists also routinely experienced death threats, assaults, arrests and costly legal battles, it said.

Honduras, where 14 land defenders were killed last year, remained the deadliest nation per capita. Victims included Berta Caceres, recipient of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her opposition to a hydroelectric dam project.