Calls were made at the International Book Fair (FIL) for a full investigation into the murder of environmental activist Higinio Trinidad de la Cruz, who was found shot to death on November 23 on a rural stretch of road running between the Jalisco towns of Cuautitlán de García de Barragán and Las Marías.
De la Cruz led a community organization that had denounced alleged land grabs by the company that operates the large Peña Colorada iron mine located on the border of Jalisco and Colima in the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve. He was a member of the State Indigenous Council of Jalisco and also highlighted the widespread practice of illegal logging in the Manantlán reserve.
De la Cruz was a key figure in the process of obtaining compensation for the indigenous Ayotitlán ejido (communal farmers’ cooperative) following the takeover of their land by Peña Colorada. However, he has been unable to resolve internal divisions among the Nahuas living in the region, some of whom had titles to their land and some who didn’t have any documentation.
As a result of his activism, De la Cruz has been the target of multiple threats and was registered on a national database of human rights defenders who warranted special protection.
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