Front Line Defenders Reports 358 Human Rights Defenders Killed in 2025, Highest Total in Colombia

Front Line Defenders reported last week that at least 358 human rights defenders were killed in 2025. Eighty-four of those killed were targeted for protecting land and the environment. The deaths occurred in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines, Turkey, Somalia and Palestine.

Indigenous-rights defenders accounted for 17 percent of the documented killings. Colombia recorded the highest total with 165 deaths. Nearly 4,000 non-lethal attacks on human rights defenders were recorded across 119 countries.

Efraín Fueres, a 46-year-old Ecuadorian environmental defender and community leader, was killed while participating in nationwide protests. Videos posted to social media show him being gunned down while marching; a military vehicle then approached and armed officers repeatedly kicked a companion kneeling over his body.

Members of CONAIE observed a moment of silence honoring Fueres on September 29, 2025, in Quito.

Misael Socarrás Ipuana, an Indigenous Wayúu leader in Colombia, survived an attempted assassination when his vehicle came under gunfire while traveling in La Guajira. Glencore, owner of the Cerrejón coal mine, stated it rejects any act of violence or intimidation against individuals representing their communities and activated its protocol for addressing threats following the attack.

Agency for International Development, resulting in significant aid cuts that weakened Colombia’s conflict-resolution and peacebuilding initiatives. The United Kingdom and Germany also scaled back funding for civil society groups. The Trump administration withdrew from the U.N.