On the evening of 20 July, 2020, Abel Raymundo was shot dead. He had left his home in the eveniong to go to draw sand from the local river. He had just started work when a lone gunman who was hiding in the reeds opened fire killing him instantly.
Raymundo was a land rights activist and defender of the territorial rights of indigenous people. He was also a spokesperson for the Consejo Comunitario (Community Council) of Lelá Chancó in Jocotán, Chiquimula.
According to the Inter American Commission for Human Rights, 8 human rights defenders working on environmental, indigenous or land rights issues were murdered in Guatemala between June and August 2020.
In its Annual Report for 2020 Front Line Defenders reported a total of 15 human rights defenders killed in Guatemala.