Activist José Baldenegro, a defender of the forest, is murdered in Chihuahua

José Trinidad Baldenegro, a well-known environmentalist, was murdered in the community of Coloradas de la Virgen, municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo

(La Jornada Maya) Chihuahua.-The activist was the brother of Isidro Baldenegro López, who was also killed for his defense of the forests in 2017.

The Attorney General of the State of Chihuahua specified that the crime was perpetrated on Monday, March 7; but until Thursday, March 10th, he was able to confirm the fact and the identity. He detailed that eight armed men attacked Baldenegro, 47, and burned down his house.

According to the first inquiries, José Trinidad Baldenegro left his home to go to work; however, moments later, his family heard gunshots, so when they went out to see what was happening, they realized that there was a group of armed people gunning Baldenegro down in broad daylight.

Minutes later, eight men approached the house and warned those who were there to leave, because more people would arrive and kill everyone present. The inhabitants of the house, without taking anything, fled from the place towards the mountain.

Hours later, they saw smoke near his home and realized that his home was on fire and to one side they found the body of José Trinidad Baldenegro.

Personnel from the Expert Services Unit lifted the body and later transferred it to an amphitheater to perform the autopsy.

The Baldenegro family has been threatened and displaced from the community where they live in Guadalupe y Calvo for defending their lands and forests. In 1986 the activists’ father was shot for the same reasons.

On January 15, 2017, Rarámuri Isidro Baldenegro was shot to death. The environmentalist and human rights defender fought for the preservation of the forests of the Sierra Tarahumara and repeatedly denounced the collusion between loggerhead businessmen, local governments, and organized crime.

The Yucatan Times
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