227 Physical liquidation How did the world move from suppressing environmental activists to killing them?

The body of a Chilean environmental activist was found dumped in an abandoned house in the north of the country, in a crime attributed to the victim's activity against projects that pollute the environment, while the incident comes amid an increase in the number of physical liquidations against environmental activists and its spread throughout the world.

Calls for justice are mounting in the case of Javiera Rojas in Chile, after the 42-year-old environmental activist was found dead and handcuffed and bound in an abandoned house in the northern city of Calama. Environmental organizations close to the activist attributed her killing to her struggle against projects harmful to the environment, especially the construction of a dam to generate energy that destroys the natural diversity in the area in which she lives.

Rojas is not the only one who met that fate, but global statistics document that the year 2020 witnessed a record number of environmental activists liquidating their views in all parts of the world, which refers to a global phenomenon in which the suppression of freedom of expression combines with criminal revenge in order to intimidate activists who dedicated their lives to protecting the environment.

Why was Rojas killed?

The Chilean police are still undecided in the circumstances of the killing of Javiera Rojas, whether it was a family killing or because of her environmental activism. Meanwhile, Representative Barbara Spolpeda commented on the incident during a parliamentary session, saying: "To the killers of Rojas: You can silence one vote, but you will not be able to silence us all," indicating that it is related to a political liquidation.

In response to the incident, progressive presidential candidate Gabriel Borek tweeted, calling for "urgency to protect environmental defenders." While Rojas was known to the Chilean public opinion for leading a campaign to cancel the project to build the Tranca Dam, whose destructive effects on the biodiversity of the region were revealed by environmental organizations' research, and its damage to the social fabric of the population on its outskirts.

Environmental defenders in Chile are subjected to severe repression, especially in light of the rise of the far-right Pinera government to the top of the pyramid of power in the country. The violence is focused on the indigenous population in the south of the country. In June, activist Carmen Belchis received death threats after she accused central farmers of wasting water resources.

More than 200 physical killings of environmental defenders

According to international statistics conducted by Global Witness, 227 environmental activists were killed in 2020 alone, in a record number recorded by the phenomenon. "On average, our data shows that four defenders have been killed every week since the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement (2016)," the report said.

According to the report, these attacks occurred mostly in Africa, Asia and South America, with one exception, which is explained by the fact that "environment-related conflict, such as the climate crisis, disproportionately affects low-income countries."

South and Central America knows the most widespread of the phenomenon. At the country level, Colombia topped the rankings, with 65 environmentalists killed. Mexico followed in second place, with 30 killed, and the Philippines in third place, with 29 activists killed in its territory.

The report accuses the spread of the phenomenon of large companies "that prioritize profit over human rights and environmental protection." These companies, according to the organization, "which are active in countries rich in natural resources and whose natural diversity faces many dangers, practice their business with complete impunity, and are often not brought to justice in these killings even though they are directly or indirectly involved in them."