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28/11/2019: This action is now closed, thank you to everyone who took action. The actions, along with over 100,000 from around the world were handed over to the Attorney General in Ecuador. Amnesty will continue to monitor the case. 

Nema’s courageous work to protect her homelands in the Amazon rainforest has put her life in danger.

An armed man has threatened to kill her, and Ecuador’s government has failed to protect her. We need to push Ecuador to act for Nema’s safety, now.

Nema is the President of the Sápara Indigenous Nationality of Ecuador, where she protects her people’s lands in the Amazon from mining and oil exploration.

But her peaceful activism comes with risks. In a video posted to social media, a man armed with a spear has threatened to kill her. 

Despite making a complaint to the authorities Nema’s aggressor has not been brought to justice.

Three other women who defend the Amazon were also attacked in 2018, and one woman’s house was set on fire.

Right now have a window of opportunity to demand safety for Nema and others who have been targeted: Ecuador’s new Attorney General, Diana Salazar, has vowed to make human rights one of her main priorities.

Diana Salazar can guarantee justice and safety for Nema. We need to push her to investigate the attacks, and bring those responsible to justice.

When tens of thousands of us join together to demand action, we show authorities that the world is watching, we give hope to those facing abuses, and we can spur positive change.

Call on the Attorney General to investigate the threats and protect Nema now.

Sign the Petition

  Our Petition

 

Attorney General 
Diana Salazar

Dear Attorney General,

Throughout 2018, Amnesty International has registered a series of attacks against human rights defenders Patricia Gualinga, Nema Grefa, Salomé Aranda and Margoth Escobar, all members of the Amazonian Women collective, in Ecuador.

The Attorney General’s Office has failed to effectively investigate these crimes and grant protection measures for the women. This has forced them to risk their lives and that of their families in order to continue their important work.

As Attorney General of Ecuador, the power and responsibility to end this situation are in your hands. For these reasons, we call you to:

- Advance the investigations of the attacks and threats against Patricia Gualinga, Nema Grefa, Salome Aranda and Margoth Escobar promptly, exhaustively, independently and impartially.

- Investigate the possibility that those attacks could have targeted them for their human rights work, identify everyone suspected of material or intellectual criminal responsibility, and bring them to justice.

- Design and implement an Investigation Protocol for Crimes against Human Rights Defenders, in order to strengthen the coordination between mechanisms and authorities in charge of criminal investigation.

Yours sincerely,

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