Herlinda Gutama
Herlinda Gutama is the President of Frente de Mujeres Defensoras de la Pachamama (Women Defenders of Mother Earth). The organisation was created in 2008, in Cuenca, Azuay Province and promotes the defence of human rights with a focus on environmental and gender issues. The majority of its members belong to communities most affected by the Río Blanco Mining Project, thus they have been very active in opposing the Project's social and environmental impact in the community.
Human rights defenders have been victims of a wide range of violations in Ecuador, such as police brutality, judicial harassment, arbitrary detentions, smear campaigns, threats, harassment and the oppression of indigenous and campesino communities. Recent incidents have shown that the situation for human rights defenders in Ecuador is precarious.
