ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST KILLED IN FRONT OF FAMILY

Masked men armed with guns and machetes killed a Honduran environmental activist in front of his family, police said on Monday, the latest in a string of such attacks in the Central American country.

Felix Vasquez, a defender of environmental and human rights, died on Saturday night after the attack in the village El Ocotal, in central Honduras. A police spokesperson said the killing was under investigation.

Honduras is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for activists, with 14 land and environmental defenders killed last year, up from four people in 2018, according to data by advocacy group Global Witness.

Vasquez, pictured, had intended to run for Congress in 2021 elections.