80.9% of cases recorded between 2023 and 2024 targeted those defending land and environmental rights

Individuals and groups defending human rights continue to face violence and persecution in Brazil. This is shown by the report On the Front Line — Violence Against Human Rights Defenders in Brazil (2023–2024), released by the organizations Terra de Direitos and Justiça Global. The report mapped 318 incidents of violence, resulting in 486 victims — 364 individuals and 122 collectives, such as entire communities, social movements, and organizations. 

:::: Acess the study

In the historical series (2019–2024), the country recorded 1,657 cases of violence. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, 55 murders, 96 attempted murders, 175 threats, and 120 incidents of criminalization were identified in just the first two years of the current government. In many attacks on groups, it was not possible to identify the exact number of people affected, indicating that the actual number of victims may be even higher. 

Even with a reduction in the total number of cases recorded in 2024 compared to the previous year, the frequency of violations remains alarming: on average, one person suffers violence for defending human rights every 36 hours in Brazil. 

 “In preparing this second edition, we found that violence against human rights defenders persists. It is not enough for just one branch of government to act in defense of human rights, such as the federal executive, for example. The report shows that other actors — both public and private — operate on the ground, such as regional or local political forces that mobilize to block these advances, using criminalization through the judiciary, violence through hired gunmen, military police, or, in a new development, organized crime invading territories,” said Darci Frigo, executive director of Terra de Direitos. 

The report shows that rural militias, organized crime, and State agents — such as the Military and Civil Police — were involved in several violations. In 45 incidents, military police officers were identified as perpetrators of violence, being responsible for at least five murders. Most of the victims were engaged in the defense of land, territory, and the environment — an issue present in 87% of the murders. Firearms were used in 78.2% of these crimes. 

Among the 486 cases of violence mapped between 2023 and 2024, 80,9% targeted those engaged in land and environmental defense — precisely those facing the direct impacts of the climate crisis. Indigenous, Quilombola, and peasant leaders are among the main targets. 

Violence Has Race, Gender, and Territory 

Among the 55 murders recorded in the period, 78% of the victims were cisgender men, 36.4% were Black, and 34.5% were Indigenous. Only 9.1% of those killed were white, revealing the selective, racist, and structural nature of the violations. Most crimes occurred in rural areas and traditional peoples’ territories, where leaders challenge the interests of land grabbers, large landowners, and major enterprises. 

Women also remain targets. The report identified 12 murders of women human rights defenders — 10 cisgender women and 2 transgender women. The case of the Candomblé priestess (Yalorixá) and Quilombola leader Mãe Bernadete, murdered with 25 shots inside her home despite being under official protection, illustrates the high risk faced by Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQIAPN+ women in political or spiritual leadership roles. 

Pará Leads Cases of Violence and Embodies Brazil’s Contradiction 

The state of Pará tops the national ranking of violence against human rights defenders, with 103 cases recorded. Of these, 94% targeted people engaged in the defense of land and the environment — precisely those fighting to preserve the Amazon. 

This data exposes a contradiction: the state that will host COP30, the UN’s global climate conference in 2025, is also the one with the highest concentration of attacks against defenders. 

Criminalization Through Institutions and Corporate Attacks

Another concerning factor is the growth of attacks via institutional channels. The criminalization of individuals and social movements has intensified, often with the participation of companies and local authorities. One example cited in the report is the actions of the mining company Belo Sun in Pará. The company sought to criminalize more than 30 people — including farmers, leaders, and movements — through the courts as a form of pressure and intimidation in response to complaints against the company.

This type of strategy — known as predatory litigation or judicial harassment — turns the justice system into a tool of repression, undermining the right to resistance and the self-determination of peoples.

Lack of Implementation of Protection Policy

Despite the reactivation of ministries and participatory councils dedicated to human rights, the report highlights that the public protection policy still lacks structure, budget, and effectiveness. The Interministerial Working Group Sales Pimenta, created to develop a plan to guide the National Policy for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (PNPDDH), plays a strategic role in this process. 

The research reinforces the importance of ensuring continuity and speed in implementing the plan submitted to the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship in December 2024. The publication of the plan as a decree has been awaited since then, with no federal government timeline yet announced. 

“It is important for Brazil to strengthen its public protection policy by institutionalizing a national system for the protection of human rights defenders and, above all, to make progress in investigating and holding accountable those who commit crimes such as threats, murders, and attempted murders, among others, addressing the serious situation of impunity,” said Sandra Carvalho, co-founder and coordinator of the Human Rights and Democracy Defenders Protection Program at Justiça Global. 

National Plan and Commitment to the Escazú Agreement

In light of the persistent violence, the organizations recommend institutionalizing the National Protection Plan for Human Rights Defenders, with coordinated actions among the branches of the Republic, states, and municipalities.

Furthermore, the study urges the Brazilian government to fully comply with the Escazú Agreement, an international treaty that addresses access to information, public participation, and the protection of environmental defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. Brazil is a signatory to the agreement but still needs to make progress in its effective implementation.