Criminalisation, a new strategy against environmental activists – Global Witness

In 2018, 164 environmental activists were reported killed – an average of three per week. The figure is down on 2017 but the number of protesters prosecuted in courts across the globe has risen, says Global Witness in its latest report on those fighting in the name of land and environmental rights.

A protester holds a 'No pipeline' sign against US President Trump's approval of two controversial pipelines REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Since 2012, the independent watchdog Global Witness has published its report on the increasingly dangerous situation for those who protest infractions against the environment and land, such as illegal logging, mining, poaching and other related activities.

As the world's population expands, so does the need for commodities, such as the food we eat or the phones we use.

The growing demand is putting more pressure on land and natural resources to deliver goods, and without any regulation or onus on the investors that finance such projects, the main people trying to regulate the actions are protesters.

The 2018 report marks the first noted decrease in deaths – down to 164 from 201 in 2017. But on the flipside, it claims the rise in the number of activists prosecuted worldwide is a result of governments and companies using the courts and legal systems as instruments of oppression.   

Criminalisation

This year Global Witness focused part of its research on this growing trend of criminalisation. “Looking at this problem through criminalisation lens, rather than the killing lens, you start to join the dots. While killings are largely happening in Latin America and some parts of South Asia, criminalisation is happening everywhere,” says Alice Harrison, a Senior Campaigner at Global Witness.

The report highlights cases of jailed protesters or civil lawsuits in the United States and Canada, such as the case of Freda Huson and Dinï ze’ Smogelgem from the Unist’ot’en tribe in British Columbia, for “acting without lawful authority with the stated purpose of stopping the project”.

In the United Kingdom, three people were jailed for protesting against fracking. 

“This is really a global phenomenon,” says Harrison.

Philippines takes over Brazil in killings

One surprising find in this year’s report was the Philippines overtaking Brazil in more deaths against activists.

In 2018, 30 people were killed for land and environment protests in the Philippines, with Brazil dropping to fourth place behind Colombia and India.

But this is not to say that Brazil is on the right track, stresses Harrison.

“Our partners in Brazil said that while killings may have been down, they noted an increase in non-lethal attacks. Sometimes people are beaten up or attacked – just short of murder,” she says, adding that the data does not give a clear indication of what’s really happening on the ground.

Since the watchdog has been collecting data on killings of environmental activists, Brazil has consistently topped the list. But international attention and condemnation may have led perpetrators of violent acts against campaigners to take a different approach, says Harrison. 

“Murders make the headlines that other forms of attack do not. This is proof – if ever we needed it – that the data on killings only tells part of the story.”