In Argentina, as hearings continued against former military junta officials on trial for crimes against humanity, human rights lawyers’ groups reported continued incidences of intimidation and harassment. Death threats and raids on the homes and offices of those seeking truth, justice and reconciliation for the victims of the military dictatorship that governed the country until 1983 continued in 2010.

Human rights defenders operate in Brazil defending economic, social and cultural rights which includes the promotion of agrarian reform (with particular focus on the land rights of rural workers), indigenous rights, the rights of people of African descent or Quilombolas, the rights of LGBTI individuals and labour rights, as well as defending civil and political rights and monitoring and reporting on human rights abuses and corruption. Police violence and the lack of accountability continued to pose great problems in Brazilian society. Positively, Brazil’s National Protection Programme for HRDs offers a holistic approach to the protection of human rights defenders and also includes psychological support. However, due to the size of the country and the limited resources allocated the programme faced challenges in providing adequate support to HRDs at risk and in 2010 was operative in six States.

The Americas remained the region with the highest incidence of killings of HRDs, which have been reported in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. Colombia continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world in which to defend human rights. Despite a strong human rights community the legacy of violence has continued in the new Presidency of Juan Manuel Santos, who assumed office in August. Assassinations, forced disappearances, death threats, raids on offices and stigmatisation and criminalisation of HRDs continued in parallel with the impunity enjoyed by those responsible. 30 killings of HRDs were reported in one four-month period. Illustrative of everyday risks faced by HRDs is the case of David Rabelo Crespo from the Regional Corporation for the Defense of Human Rights, who was arrested on 14 September 2010 in Barrancabermeja. He remains in detention on fabricated charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and aggravated murder, and he and his family continue to receive death threats.

The murder of human rights defenders was also a major problem in Mexico, where HRDs faced intimidation and harassment from both state and non-state actors. General insecurity, impunity and violence associated with organised criminal activity and narco-trafficking mean that HRDs operated in extremely dangerous conditions, particularly in Chihuahua, Guerrero and Chiapas. In April 2010, Bety Cariño was killed, together with an international observer, in a violent paramilitary attack on a peaceful solidarity caravan. Gender violence and femicides were at an alarming high in the state of Chihuahua, and represented one of the main risks faced by WHRDs in the region. 2010 opened with the killing, in January, of Josefina Reyes who was murdered because of her work opposing abuses by the military; the year closed with another WHRD, Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, murdered in December as she held a peaceful vigil against the acquittal of her daughter’s killer. Following the two killings, several family members of both WHRDs were also murdered. The authorities response was consistent: ‘the military presence is necessary due to ongoing drug trafficking cartels in the region.’

One piece of positive news was the decrease in attacks against HRDs in Guatemala, which had reached a peak in 2009. However, the environment remained extremely high-risk and HRDs operated with great fear of reprisals. Front Line reported on assassination attempts, death threats and break-ins at the homes of HRDs.

In Ecuador, human rights defenders reported continued repression at the hands of the State, in particular against environmental activists. In 2010 there were reports of HRDs being criminalised, discredited, imprisoned, and killed. Against this background, it is almost a paradox that the 2008 Constitution codified “the right to resist actions or omissions of public authorities, persons and organisations that threaten the constitutional rights of the peoples”.

In Honduras human rights defenders, organsations and political parties continued to join forces and oppose the de facto Government in a movement under the banner of the National Resistance Front. 2010 was another violent year and Front Line issued urgent appeals regarding three separate cases of killings of HRDs, as well as other assassination attempts and death threats against individuals and groups. LGBTI rights defenders continued to be targeted by threats, surveillance, kidnappings, intimidation and killings, and are doubly discriminated against: because they are human rights defenders and because they defend LGBTI rights. Those working to promote sustainable development and environmental rights in Honduras, such as the Environmental Movement of Olancho, remained at particular risk.