On the afternoon of 12 November 2016, Jeremy Abraham Barrios, who was 22 years old, was shot dead in the centre of Guatemala City.
Jeremy was a human rights and environmental activist who worked as the Assistant to the General Director of CALAS (Centre for Environmental and Social Legal Action in Guatemala), with institutional operations duties and handling sensitive information on mining and hydroelectric projects. He is survived by his mother and two younger sisters.
Jeremy was a former student at the Central Teacher Training School for Boys, with a focus on computer science. He became a student leader in the normalista (teacher training) movement, and remained active during the 2013 protests against the cancellation of the normalista teaching degree.
CALAS is a human rights organisation based in Guatemala City, which was founded in 2011 by human rights defender Yuri Melini, 2009 Front Line Defenders award winner. CALAS has been active in denouncing abuses committed by mining companies in the region, and working to protect environmental rights.