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Front Line Defenders reports 358 killings of human rights defenders in 2025
Grist reported that Front Line Defenders documented at least 358 killings of human rights defenders last year. Eighty-four of the victims were targeted for land and environmental protection work across 14 countries. Indigenous-rights defenders made up 17 percent of the total.
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Grist reported that at least 358 human rights defenders were killed in 2025. Front Line Defenders, a Dublin-based group, released its annual report on the killings last week. Eighty-four of those killed were targeted for their work 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. Many of those defenders also worked on environmental issues, though the report tracked them separately.
Beyond the killings, human rights defenders faced additional threats including surveillance, smear campaigns, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture, Grist reported.
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