Lusbi Portillo
Lusbi Portillo is an anthropologist, professor emeritus of the University of Zulia and environmental and indigenous peoples rights defender. During his career, he has promoted the study and awareness of the situation of indigenous peoples in Zulia, and has worked for almost 40 years in the defence of the forests of Lake Maracaibo Basin and the collective rights of the indigenous peoples Yukpa, Bari, Wayuu, Japreria y Añuu.
HRDs in Venezuela have been working under restrictive policies for many years: the Maduro administration has continued the work begun by Chávez in restricting civil space and delegitimising HRDs, repeatedly accusing them of undermining the Venezuelan democracy with the alleged collaboration of the United States. HRDs are discredited and criminalised by state-controlled media (television, radio, print media) on a weekly basis.
