On 8th April 2017, human right defender Jose Alberto Toledo Villalobos was beaten to death by unknown assailants in Juchitan, Oaxaca region.

At 8.00 pm on Saturday, 8 April, he was found badly beaten and semi-conscious on the road between San José and the petrol station at Tapanatepec. He had extensive bruises and other injuries and his taxi, which was found nearby, was a complete wreck.

Taxi driver José Alberto Toledo Villalobos was a human rights defender and campaigner for indigenous peoples’ and land rights in the area of San Pedro Tapanatepec, Oaxaca. He was a member of the “Red Nacional de Resistencia Civil” and a leading campaigner against large scale mining projects, which are being proposed for development in the eastern part of the Istmo region. He was also involved in the campaign against the imposition of excessive charges for electricity.

The local community accused the “Comisión Federal de Electricidad” of being the intellectual authors behind the killing. The community also accused the local state authorities of failing to take appropriate action to investigate the killing.