London & Srinagar, India — At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed around the world in 2025 while protecting forests, rivers, farmland and Indigenous territories, according to a new report by Global Witness that warns violence against activists remains widespread even as recorded killings have declined from previous years. The report, titled Collective…
New Global Witness figures bring the total killed and disappeared since 2012 to 2,375 Just two South American countries – Colombia and Brazil – accounted for 52% of the 2025 killings In Asia, defenders are facing a rising tide of criminalisation and intimidation Globally, more than three quarters of those killed were small-scale farmers, Indigenous…
ITWeb TV speaks to Gareth Redelinghuys, country MD at TrendAI, about the impact that AI continues to have on cyber security, in terms of both defence and attack. Business leaders need to understand this dynamic and how best to protect their ‘crown jewels’. AI remains a double-edged sword. While defenders are tapping into its speed,…
Campaigners are hailing today’s COP30 launch of a new global initiative aimed at advancing the recognition, protection, and participation of environmental defenders in climate decision and policy-making. Co-created with more than 300 environmental activists and defenders across Latin America, Africa, Asia-Pacific and beyond, the new Leaders Action Network for Environmental Activists and Defenders (LEAD) initiative…
This statement was originally published on globalvoices.org on 26 October 2025. The speed at which the internet is evolving is making its users increasingly vulnerable. Meanwhile, digital technology, which should help to concentrate and centralize information to prevent losses, offers no guarantee against hacking and theft of personal data by cyber-criminals. Similarly, mass surveillance orchestrated…
When land grabbing banishes communities from their homes, the surrounding environment and biodiversity are left at the mercy of destructive industries The term “land grabs” describes large-scale acquisitions of land that rob communities of access to their homes and livelihoods. While the term has become more common in the last two decades, the concept is…
Every year, Global Witness works with partners to gather evidence, verify and document every time a land and environmental defender is killed or disappeared. Our methodology follows robust criteria, yet undocumented cases pose challenges when it comes to analysing data Global Witness documents killings and long-term disappearances of land and environmental defenders globally. In partnership…
No fewer than 126 by land and environmental defenders were killed or disappeared in Africa since 2012, with Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, accounting for almost two-thirds of these cases. Other cases are Kenya, six; Liberia, six; South Africa, six; Chad, five; Uganda, five, among several others. The data were part of a report…
New Global Witness figures bring the total up to 2,253 from 2012 to 2024 At least 146 land and environmental defenders were killed or disappeared* around the world last year defending their land, communities or the environment, a new report by Global Witness reveals. Today the investigative organisation published its annual report on land and…
“We are not defending the title — we are evolving as a team” “Unity of purpose was the key to our WAFCON triumph” “We never wasted a loss — every setback became a lesson” With just weeks to go before Morocco kicks off the highly anticipated TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals, all…
