Isidro Baldenegro López ( – 15 January 2017) was a farmer and community leader of Mexico's

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

Tarahumara people in Sierra Madre and an environmental activist who fought against unregulated logging in his region.

Early life

Baldenegro grew up in his ancestral land in the Sierra Madre mountains, a region known for its biodiversity. His father was assassinated after he took a stand against logging, and Isidro was a witness.

Work

Baldenegro was active in his defense of the ecosystem in Sierra Madre where his community has been living for hundreds of years. He founded an NGO in 1993 to combat deforestation. He organized community marches and blockades that caused a temporary shut-down of logging by the government in 2002. In 2003, he organized a protest with wives of murdered activists which led to the banning of logging by court ruling. After being arrested in 2003, López was adopted as a

prisoner of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

and was released after 15 months in prison, being acquitted of all charges. He was awarded the

Goldman Environmental Prize The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists. History Awardees are named from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, an ...

in 2005 for his nonviolent efforts to defend old growth forests from devastating logging.Goldman Environmental Prize
Isidro Baldenegro López
(Retrieved on November 8, 2007) As of January 2017, this prize has been awarded to 4 Mexican activists, including Baldenegro. Goldman Environmental Foundation's president said that Baldenegro's "relentless work organizing peaceful protests against

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...

in the Sierra Madre mountains helped protect the forests, lands and rights of his people. He was a fearless leader and a source of inspiration to so many people fighting to protect our environment and indigenous peoples."

Death

Baldenegro was assassinated on January 15, 2017. His relatives have said that his murder is connected to other killings and attacks on indigenous people who have opposed logging in the region. ''The Guardian'' noted that his death came just months after

Berta Cáceres Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores (; 4 March 1971 – 3 March 2016) was a Honduran (Lenca) environmental activist, indigenous leader, co-founder and coordinator of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). She won th ...

, who also won the Goldman Environmental Prize, was assassinated. 122 environmental activists were killed in Latin America in 2015, and 185 were killed worldwide. Organizers of the Goldman Environmental Prize stated they "denounce his murder in the strongest possible terms" and called on the Government of Mexico "to conduct a speedy, independent and transparent investigation into his death, and to do all within its powers to bring the perpetuators to justice."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldenegro Lopez, Isidro 1960s births Year of birth uncertain 2017 deaths Rarámuri people 20th-century farmers Mexican environmentalists Mexican prisoners and detainees Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Mexico Mexican farmers Mexican murder victims Goldman Environmental Prize awardees Assassinated Mexican people Deaths by firearm in Mexico