Mexico City, 23 July 2015.- Peace Brigades International, as a result of a joint effort from different field projects and national groups, produced a new documentary that illustrates the risks of human rights defenders (HRDs) devoted to the defense of the land and territory within the context of large-scale investment projects in Latin America.

The video narrates the stories and the situation of risk of HRDs from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Colombia, countries where PBI field projects operate. In 2014, a Global Witness report found 116 cases of killings of land and environmental defenders in 17 countries. Central and South America account for more than 75% of all deaths. PBI also marked the occasion with a public statement on the matter. You may read it here: bit.ly/1SJLAwA.

The short version of the documentary was presented to the European Union Council's Working Group on Human Rights on 8 July as a trigger to a discussion regarding protection mechanisms for human rights defenders working within the context of European large-scale investment projects.

The documentary was produced by Peace Brigades International thanks to support from Open Society Foundations and Ziviler Friedensdienst.

You may watch the full version of the documentary at: bit.ly/TierraDelMaiz

 

 

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