Venezuela: assassination of an Amerindian leader denouncing mining

An Amerindian leader who denounced illegal mining and the presence of armed groups in the Amazon region of Venezuela (south) has been assassinated, human rights NGOs announced on Friday July 1.

Virgilio Trujillo Arana, 38, a member of the Uwottuja indigenous people, was shot dead Thursday in Puerto Ayacucho, capital of the state of Amazonas (bordering Brazil and Colombia), according to these NGOs.

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The Observatory for the Defense of Life (Odevida), which brings together human rights organizations from Venezuela, Colombia and Peru, expressed in a statement its

.

The NGO recalled that Trujillo Arana was fighting to

belonging to Colombian guerrillas.

According to Odevida, 32 indigenous leaders and environmental activists have been killed between 2013 and 2021 in Venezuela: 21 by

and 11 by armed groups.

"The authorities have already opened investigations and have not yet reported a motive," said the NGO for the defense of indigenous rights Kape Kape on its Twitter account.

The authorities did not provide any information on this case.

Odevida calls for

as well as the prompt arrest and punishment

.

The NGO also called for compliance with a decree in force since 1989 which prohibits

.

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The neighboring state of Bolivar has in recent years been the scene of violence linked to illegal mining mafias in the Orinoco Mining Arc, a vast region in southern Venezuela rich in gold and other minerals such as iron and coltan.

The UN Human Rights Office had already warned in 2020 about the situation in the region, pointing out that 150 people had been killed between 2016 and 2020.

Several organizations also denounce the presence in these border areas of dissidents from the disbanded guerrillas of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and combatants of the ELN (National Liberation Army), as well as armed criminal groups.