Front Line is deeply saddened by the recent killing of human rights defender, Ms Josefina Reyes, on 3 January 2010. Josefina Reyes was an active human rights advocate and social activist in Valle de Juárez, Chihuahua State, Mexico, working to oppose repression, violence and human rights violations committed by the military and law enforcement agencies in the region.
Front Line is deeply saddened by the recent killings of human rights defenders, Mr Ramiro Rivera and Ms Alicia Recinos Sorto, two anti-mining activists in El Salvador.
Front Line is deeply saddened to learn of the recent killings of Mr Datu Alvie Binungkasan and Mr Rico Badbaran in Mindanao province, Philippines. Datu Alvie Binungkasan was shot in his home on the evening of 20 November 2009, and Rico Badbaran was killed on 24 November.
Front Line is deeply saddened by the murder of human rights lawyers Ms Concepcion 'Connie' Brizuela and Ms Cynthia Oquendo in the Maguindanao Massacre, which took place on 23 November 2009 in Mindanao Province. At least 57 people are reported to have been killed. Both women were members of the Union of Peoples' Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM). Concepcion Brizuela was also UPLM's treasurer and a member of its Executive Committee.
Front Line is gravely concerned following reports received regarding the killing of transgender human rights defender, Cynthia Nicole, on 9 January 2009. Cynthia Nicole was a leader in Colectivo Violeta, an organisation which has worked in the defence of the rights of transgender people since 1995. Her work included providing information on HIV/AIDS and human rights, as well as representing her community at national conferences and in the media. She also worked as a translator with representatives of Front Line during a recent visit to Honduras to meet with human rights defenders at risk.
Front Line is extremely concerned following reports that human rights defender and community leader, Vicente Zhunio Samaniego, from Ecuador, has been located, after 16 hours of incommunicado detention, in a hospital with gunshot wounds to the head.
Front Line is gravely concerned following reports of the killing of Magomed Yevloyev, human rights defender, journalist and owner of the Internet news site www.ingushetiya.ru, on 31 August 2008 in Nazran. Magomed Yevloyev was very critical, in his writings, of the Russian security forces in Ingushetia. He was also extremely critical of Ingush President Murat Zyazikov.
Front Line is deeply concerned following the killing of human rights defender Elliot Machipisa. Elliot Machipisa was a pro-democracy activist and an observer with the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN), a non-partisan, independent group of thirty-eight non-governmental organisations which have come together to promote democratic processes in Zimbabwe.
Front Line is deeply concerned following information received of the killing of human rights defender Wabiwa Kabisuba on 18 May 2008, in her home in Panzi, seven kilometres from the town of Bukavu, in the province of Sud-Kivu. Wabiwa Kabisuba was a coordinator with the human rights organisation Voix des sans voix ni liberté (VOVOLIB) (Voice of the voiceless and powerless) and also worked as a councillor at VOVOLIB´s centre for victims of sexual violence in Panzi.
Front Line is gravely concerned following the killing of human rights defender Rev. Fr. M X Karunaratnam, Chairperson of the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR), in Vanni on 20 April 2008. NESoHR is a local, independent human rights monitoring body in the North East of Sri Lanka.
