On 23 May 2017,  the political leader and environmental defender Faustino Murillo was shot dead in the Jardines de la Sierra community in Iriona, Colón.

Faustino was a member of the municipal council of the Iriona municipality in the Colón department where he was municipal councillor. He was also a member of the Sico-Paulaya Environmental Board where he carried out outstanding work defending the natural resources in this fertile area of the country. The extractive industry have strong business interests in this territory which could cause irreversible damage to the environment in a territory that is part of a protected area.

Source: ACI Participa