Tegucigalpa, September 17 (RHC)-- In Honduras, a prominent anti-mining activist was gunned down Saturday as he left a church in his northeastern town of Tocoa. 

Juan López was a member of the ruling LIBRE party and campaigned against open-pit iron ore mining. 

In a recent interview, Juan Lopez said:  

Juan López: “It is not gold or silver or any of these metals which makes a nation wealthy, but it is the agriculture. … Our voices of dignity and sovereignty have not died; they keep getting stronger.”

A new report by Global Witness found Honduras had the third-highest number of murders of environmental defenders, tied with Mexico, with 18 recorded killings in 2023.