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Felix Vasquez was killed on Saturday in the town of El Ocotal in central Honduras, writes Reuters. Several masked men armed with guns and machetes are said to have attacked the slain activist in front of his family, reports local police, who have now launched a preliminary investigation into the murder.
“The police authority immediately decided to start the investigation and we hope to get a response soon,” said police spokesman Kevin Hernández, according to Reuters.
Felix Vasquez belonged The Lena people, an indigenous people who live in the mountainous areas of southern Honduras. He had planned to run for the Free party congress in the 2021 elections.
Honduras is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for environmental activists, according to the human rights organization Global Witness. Last year, up to 14 activists who fought for territorial and environmental rights in the Central American country died, the organization says.
Félix Vasques warned authorities that he felt he had been subjected to political persecution three years ago, according to the Coalition Against Impunity (CCI), which believes the state did not do enough to prevent the murder.
“The state is directly responsible for the murder due to lack of action despite the serious risks it was aware of,” says CCI.
The assassination of Vasquez It happened four years after the environmental activist Berta Cáceres, who belonged to the same town, was shot dead in her home. Cacerers fought to prevent a large dam from being built on a river in central Honduras.
The murder had a long legal sequel and several high-ranking military officers were arrested. The trial started this summer.
Environmental activists are increasingly vulnerable around the world. Last year, at least 212 people died for their fight for the environment, a record number according to Global Witness. Most of the murders, 64, occurred in Colombia.
“At a time when we most need people to protect the planet from destructive and carbon-intensive industries, we see the highest number of killings of land and environmental fighters,” the organization wrote in its annual report.
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