In August 2022, journalist Fredid Román was shot dead in Chilpancingo, the capital of Mexico’s Guerrero state. Román was the owner and editor of the news outlet La Realidad en Guerrero, which reported on his state’s political landscape, where drug trafficking networks, vigilante groups and other criminal organizations often clash. Román became the 15th media worker to be killed in Mexico in 2022 alone, a number that had risen to 17 by the end of the year. The country is the most dangerous for reporters outside of a war zone, and calls for the protection of journalists and against widespread impunity abound.

But this does not only happen in Mexico – in other parts of the world, assassinations by organized criminal groups are a daily occurrence. To bear witness to the victims of organized crime, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) launched The Ripple Effect, a podcast series that examines assassinations of civil society actors such as journalists, campaigners, politicians and environmentalists. The series looks at why such individuals are consistently targeted, who is responsible and who stands to gain. It also explores the current measures in place to prevent these murders and the landscape of impunity that too often allows the masterminds to walk free.

The first episode looks at the murder of journalists – an attack on one of the pillars of democracy, namely, freedom of expression – enabled by the nexus between crime and politics. In places where organized crime has infiltrated the political process, reporting on issues such as corruption or misconduct in public office becomes extremely dangerous. However, it is not only journalists who are victims of this collusion between politics and organized crime. The is also the case for politicians, as explored in later episodes in this series. Away from the public glare, systems of patronage and organized crime infiltration have enabled violence against politicians by criminals and political actors alike. This violence is mainly perpetrated by criminal groups and hitmen.

These criminal actors also target human rights defenders worldwide. As discussed in the third episode in the series, there is a concerning trend of hostility towards activists, which includes criminalizing human rights defenders. Ultimately, language matters, and when those with decision-making power show public hostility, it emboldens perpetrators, shapes public opinion and can even influence investigations.

Criminal groups target human rights defenders because their work seeks to disrupt illicit businesses. One particularly vulnerable group are those involved in protecting the environment, including indigenous peoples, who are often forced into defending natural resources and their way of life against industries such as illegal mining, illegal logging, large-scale agriculture and infrastructure projects. Rachel Cox, a campaigner and investigator from the NGO Global Witness, mentions that activists’ proximity to the natural resources they aim to protect makes them more likely to become targets of those who seek to exploit the landscape. A case in point is the assassination of Brazilian indigenous activist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips, who had been investigating the illegal fishing of endangered species in the Amazon region. Five people were arrested in connection with the murders, including the alleged leader of an illegal fishing mafia based in the region.

Understanding the nature of the problem is essential for providing solutions. Still, one overarching question runs through every episode of The Ripple Effect: What can be done to prevent the assassination of civil society actors? A number of approaches have been identified during the series to combat this growing problem, including more and improved coordination between governments, the private sector and civil society.

A focus on preventive measures, such as increasing funding, strengthening and adhering to existing mechanisms, and creating new tools, is also crucial. At the same time, tackling impunity is paramount. This could be achieved by adequately funding local police forces and prosecutors to enhance their investigative capacity, and creating a robust witness protection programme. It is important to identify the murders as assassinations from the beginning. As highlighted by human rights lawyer Roxanna Altholz, the investigation into the murder of environmentalist Berta Cáceres suffered a number of setbacks, as it was initially defined as a ‘crime of passion’.

Foreign actors and the private sector also play a prominent role, and specific actions from them are required, such as investing in training for civil society actors and in areas such as digital security and evidence collection. Foreign embassies on the ground could act as allies for defenders, especially in countries where state institutions are hostile. Corporations and financial institutions should work on strengthening requirements and continually monitoring their supply chains, partnering with the communities by promoting local and regional consultations, and establishing a policy of zero tolerance towards threats and attacks.

In one of the episodes in this series, environmental justice expert Liliana Jauregui explains how a group of women have started compiling data on murder threats based on images, voice notes and geo-referencing, which is then sent to international partners and organizations affiliated with the United Nations. This is an example of how civil society can be pivotal in pushing for accountability.

Assassinations, wherever they occur, generate a ripple effect that spreads far beyond that initial act of violence. In this podcast series, the GI-TOC and other organizations show that there are routes out of this cycle of violence and ways to end the impunity that seeps into every aspect of society, slowly eroding the very institutions people rely on. Now it is up to individual states to show that they care.