“Every night, Congolese who live under the M23's control worry whether armed men will visit them and kidnap,rape or kill members of their family. Life has turned into a 24-hour contract, renewable each morning”
On 15 May 2013, Brazil’s Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Mr Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura, also known as Bida, who is accused of ordering the 2005 murder of nun and defender of the Amazon, Sr. Dorothy Stang.
On 13 May 2013, human rights defender, philanthropist and social activist Mr Abdul Waheed was shot dead in front of his infant daughter and elder brother. The attack was carried out by three unknown assailants at his medical store in the Qasba Colony, Manghopir, Karachi. The human rights defender's daughter, Pareesha, and brother, Naseeb Taj, were also injured in the attack.
On 22 April 2013 three human rights defenders, as well as a temporary labourer and a family member, were violently assassinated in the recently created municipality of Las Cruces in El Petén, northern Guatemala. The human rights defenders were all affiliated with Cooperativa Centro Campesino Yaxchilán (Central Campesino Co-operative, Yaxchilán) which works on developing organic farming practices in Las Cruces, whilst simultaneously preserving the surrounding jungle by not felling trees or hunting wild animals. It has previously denounced the activities of illegal loggers and mining groups that are operating in the area. Mr Mateo García Pérez was the acting secretary of the organisation when he was killed; Mr Eliseo Ramos Martínez was a former board member; Mr Don Medelso Martínez Interiano was a former member of the Supervisory Committee; Mr Jesús Aldana Choc was a temporary worker and Mr Eduber García was the son of Mateo García Pérez.
On 14 April 2013, two prominent human rights lawyers, Professor Mohamed Mahmoud Afrah and Mr Abdikarin Hussein Gorod, were killed when Al-Shabaab adherents in army uniform stormed Banadir Regional Court, Somalia's main court complex, in Mogadishu.
On 11 April 2013, human rights defender and director of AHOMAR Mr Maicon Alexandre Rodrigues de Carvalho was subjected to new death threats as he attended a funeral.
On 10 April 2013 the Third Court of First Instance of the Judicial District of Xalapa sentenced Jorge Antonio Hernandez Silva, “El Silva”, to 38 years and two months in prison, for the homicide and robbery of human rights defender and journalist Regina Martínez Pérez in April 2012.
9 April 2013 was the 4th anniversary of the murder of human rights defender Ernest Manirumva. In what they describe as a 'very rare' situation the legal team representing the victim's organisation OLUCOME and family, and the team representing one of the defendants in the murder case have released a joint press release to bring attention to what they feel are major irregularities in the trial and appeal of his alleged murderers.
On 4 April 2013, a jury in Marabá, in the state of Pará, Brazil, sentenced Lindonjonson Silva Rocha and Alberto Lopes do Nascimento to prison terms of 42 to 45 years respectively for the May 2011 murders of human rights defenders Maria do Espírito Santo and José Claudio da Silva.
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