UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Michel Forst [official website] on Thursday condemned [press release] the execution of Raramuri indigenous activist Isidro Baldenegro Lopez. Lopez was an environmental activist in Mexico who fought to for indigenous land rights and protections from looters. He was murdered on Sunday by an unknown assailant. His death prompted Fors to speak out against the killing. “We condemn the outrageous and senseless killing of environmental defender Isidro. It is a tragic reminder of the dangers and risks facing environmental and indigenous defenders in Chihuahua.” Lopez is the second indigenous Latin American human rights activist [teleSur report] murdered this week.

The death comes on the heels of the UN calling for more human rights protections. Frost will visit Mexico [JURIST report ] for the first time to assess the safety of human rights defenders, according to a statement last Wednesday. The UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported [JURIST report] Monday that more than 100 journalists were killed in the line of duty in 2016. In a speech before a meeting of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, a senior UN human rights official said [JURIST report] Monday that children around the world face ongoing poverty, violence and discrimination.