Arana was shot three times in the head by a gunman who fled to a waiting vehicle in Thursday’s attack in the city of Puerto Ayacucho. According to information, he had received threats regarding his work. “In life, Trujillo Arana strongly opposed the presence of foreign groups and illegal mining exploitation in the indigenous territories of the Uwottuja people, in the Alto Guayapo region,” indigenous rights NGO AC Kape Kape tweeted. The Uwottuja community consists of approximately 15,000 people. Non-governmental organizations and a United Nations report denounced the presence of violent criminal groups that control gold mines in the jungle. The Communications and Information Ministry and the prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Communities from the town of Uwottuja announced last February their decision to defend their territory from a “silent invasion” by criminal groups, rejecting illegal mining exploitation as well as the use of their land for illegal activities. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on the government to regulate mining activities and guarantee that they are conducted in accordance with international and environmental standards.
