Environmental defenders reel from Mexico and Central America attacks

At least two dozen activists in Indigenous and rural areas murdered, disappeared and jailed in wave of attacks

A wave of attacks against environmental defenders has left Indigenous and rural communities across Mexico and Central America reeling amid a lack of government protection and widespread impunity.

At least two dozen defenders have been murdered, disappeared and jailed across the region so far this year, according to research by the Guardian. On Wednesday, the Indigenous rights and anti-mining activist Eustacio Alcala Diaz was found dead in Michoacan, Mexico, three days after he was abducted by armed men while traveling with Catholic missionaries.