Colombia is the most dangerous place in the world for activists who seek to help protect land and other natural resources, according to a recent report by Front Line Defenders, an Irish advocacy group. nbcnews.to/2PnXmEF (1/6) #NBCNewsThreads
More than 40 human rights defenders and community leaders have been killed in Colombia since January, according to Indepaz, a Colombian peace-building nonprofit. (2/6)
Nidia Becerra, a Colombian indigenous leader, sometimes wears a bulletproof vest when out in public and frequently changes her residence.
When she travels, she’s often accompanied by armed guards provided by the government or the indigenous communities she’s fighting for. (3/6)
When she travels, she’s often accompanied by armed guards provided by the government or the indigenous communities she’s fighting for. (3/6)
Becerra says she has received death threats through hundreds of calls and texts and flyers left at her door.
"Each time an attempt is made against my life, I come back stronger, and this is just further proof that I need to continue in this fight and struggle," she says. (4/6)
"Each time an attempt is made against my life, I come back stronger, and this is just further proof that I need to continue in this fight and struggle," she says. (4/6)
Legal and illegal entities force themselves upon the lands of indigenous peoples without consent, causing many of the communities to be displaced due to violence or having traditional livelihoods destroyed as local forests are wiped out and water sources are contaminated. (5/6) 
Of the 370 assassinations of human rights defenders since 2016, the AG’s office has made advances on the investigations of 52% of them, Colombian gov't says.
Activists who spoke with @NBCNews said they do not have faith in the government’s efforts to stop the violence. (6/6)
Activists who spoke with @NBCNews said they do not have faith in the government’s efforts to stop the violence. (6/6)
