Pope Francis denounces the murder of a Honduran environmental defender

Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the killing of an environmental activist in Honduras, joining a growing number of international voices expressing concern over the killing.

Environmental leader Juan López was shot dead earlier this month in the municipality of Tocoa in rural northern Honduras after spending years fighting mining companies to preserve the region’s rivers and forests.

“I am with those whose fundamental rights are trampled on and with those who act for the common good in response to the cries of the poor of the earth,” Francis said at the end of his Angelus message in the Vatican.

The rural Caribbean region of Colón has seen a wave of killings of environmental defenders in recent years, and three activists from López’s organization were killed last year.

The religious leader joined several world leaders in condemning the killing.
Last week, Brian A. Nichols, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, demanded justice for López. The United Nations called on “the competent authorities to carry out an immediate, exhaustive and impartial investigation that will allow the identification and punishment of those responsible, both materially and intellectually, for this murder.”

Honduran President Xiomara Castro called Lopez’s death a “vile murder” and vowed to heed growing calls to investigate the crime.

Latin America is the deadliest region in the world to be an environmental defender, according to the non-governmental organization Global Witness, which tracks the murders of environmental activists.

Last year, Honduras ranked among the deadliest countries for defending the environment, along with Colombia, Brazil and Mexico. At least 140 environmental defenders were killed in these four countries alone, representing 71% of all killings of environmental defenders worldwide.

Environmental leaders often act as watchdogs in rural regions, becoming an unwanted pair of eyes in places where organized crime thrives.

They also tend to challenge powerful companies and individuals seeking to profit from extractive industries like mining and logging, and do so in remote swathes of Latin America far from the reach of justice.

Honduras captured global attention when indigenous leader and environmental activist Berta Cáceres was murdered in 2016. The murder continues to haunt Honduras, as many details of Cáceres’ death remain unresolved.

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