Alejandro Laínez García
Alejandro Laínez García is a human rights defender who is the leader of the community of Santa Marta. As a community leader, he has actively worked in the rescue, promotion and conservation of the historical memory, the community identity and the protection of the common goods of the community, including the defence of their territory and the environment against the negative effects of metallic mining in the country.
The human rights defender community is regularly subjected to campaigns of defamation - they are labeled as 'traitors of the nation', 'terrorists' and 'subversive'. This tactic employed by the authorities is designed to discredit and undermine the work of human rights defenders by isolating and marginalising them, making them a vulnerable target for abuse. Community leaders and environmental activists who are opposed to large-scale mining projects face death threats and violence.
