Latin American bishops join campaign to save human rights defenders

By Kielce Gussie

On September 14, Juan Antonio López, a city council member and environmental activist was murdered in Honduras. He was a member of the Mesoamerican Ecclesial Network and international organizations recognized his work. His assassination underscored the vulnerable situation of human rights defenders and leaders throughout Latin America.

In defence of defenders

In response, the Latin American Bishops’ Conference, together with the Platform for Peace, Democracy, and Human Rights and the Latin American Protection Community, is launching the campaign “Life is hanging on by a thread.” 

With the slogan, "Weaving the future, protecting life," the goal is to take action to promote the protection, solidarity, and recognition of the work of human rights defenders and social and civic leaders.

The official launch of the campaign is scheduled for December 10, which will be held virtually to bring representatives from all over Latin America. It will coincide with events being held in Honduras to honour López.

A campaign to save lives

The goal of the “Life is hanging on by a thread” campaign is to shine a light on symbolic cases of human rights and environmental defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. Various testimonies of people defending human rights and indigenous peoples will come to light.

Promoters of the campaign stress its importance because “situations like the murder of Juan Antonio López are not isolated events, but part of a systematic pattern in Latin America, one of the deadliest regions for environmental and human rights defenders.” Global Witness, an international NGO, reports that 85% of environmental defenders who were killed in 2023 took place in Latin America. Specifically, in Honduras, 18 environmentalists were murdered last year.

Juan Antonio López was an environmentalist killed on September 14, 2024

The campaign will end on December 10, 2025, coinciding with the Jubilee of Hope.