Deadly Year for Defenders
Global Report Finds 124 Land and Environmental Defenders Killed in 2025
Anonymous
At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed worldwide in 2025, according to Global Witness, bringing documented killings and disappearances since 2012 to 2,375. Latin America accounted for 85% of the deaths, with Colombia remaining the deadliest country for a fourth consecutive year with 39 killings, followed by Brazil with 26; Honduras and the Philippines each recorded 12. Indigenous people, small-scale farmers and Afro-descendant communities made up most victims, many of whom were targeted amid disputes over land, mining, logging, agribusiness and other resource-intensive projects. More than one-third of the killings were linked to organized crime or contract killers, while the report also highlighted intimidation, criminalization and smear campaigns against defenders, particularly in Asia. Although the global toll declined from 2024 and 2023, Global Witness warned that underreporting and repression mean the true number is likely higher, and that the decline does not necessarily indicate improved safety.
Key Points
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Global Witness documented 105 killings in Latin America in 2025, with Colombia and Brazil together accounting for 52% of all deaths worldwide.
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Among those killed was Vicente Fernandes Vilhalva, a 36-year-old Guaraní Kaiowá Indigenous man who was shot during an armed attack on his community in Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul in November, amid its long-running effort to reclaim ancestral territory.
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In Colombia, nearly half of the 39 victims were Indigenous people and 15 were small-scale farmers; Global Witness linked 17 cases to organized crime and five to contract killings, with many deaths connected to conflicts over land, illegal mining and coca cultivation.
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The report identified Colombia’s Cauca region as a major center of violence: coca production there has increased fivefold over the past decade, while armed groups are driving deforestation, illegal mining and the destruction of rivers.
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Global Witness lead author Toby Hill described defenders as the “world’s eyes and ears,” saying their work reveals when ecosystems are being destroyed, forests cleared or rivers polluted, and that the violence reflects a broader struggle over land and resources.
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