Armed attack against Erik Saracho Aguilar, Nayarit activist and land defender

Mexico City, March 12, 2026

AU 001/2026

Urgent Action

On March 11, at approximately 6:30 a.m., Erik Saracho Aguilar was the victim of a firearm attack in the locality of San Francisco, in the Bahía de Banderas municipality of  Nayarit. During the attack, the defender and environmental activist sustained gunshot wounds that caused serious injuries and was urgently transferred to a hospital to receive medical attention.

The defender is a beneficiary of Mexico’s Mechanism to Protect Human Rights Defenders and Journalists; however, it is important to note the serious lack of timely and effective response from security forces to assist the defender. Police took more than an hour to arrive at the scene to provide the necessary support.

This situation highlights the lack of response capacity and the level of abandonment faced by victims of violence in the region, especially human rights defenders and journalists.

The documentation of these events has generated alarm and outrage among local communities, social organizations, and activists who are committed to the protection, conservation, and defense of natural heritage in a region of the country that has been severely affected by violence and impunity.

Erik Saracho Aguilar is an environmentalist and defender of land and biodiversity in the state of Nayarit and in the community of San Francisco (San Pancho); director of Alianza Jaguar and founder of RedMAS, which has contributed to raising awareness of the socio-environmental risks related to development projects and the overall expansion of real estate and tourism that threatens the ecosystems of the Mexican Pacific.

In light of the tourism infrastructure boom in different parts of the state, including Sayulita, Nuevo Vallarta, Playa Lo de Marcos, and the project for a real estate development and construction of a marina at Playa El Monteón, residents and collectives of San Pancho have organized themselves, demanding full access to information and transparency from municipal, state, and federal authorities regarding pertinent Environmental Impact Statements and the granting of land-use licenses that can provide legal certainty to the populations directly affected.

As a result of these legitimate actions by local organizations and residents of the region, developers and business owners in the area have claimed that Alianza Jaguar and Erik Saracho have systematically blocked various projects, which has led to smear campaigns against the defender.

We demand from the competent state and federal authorities:

An <strong>immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation</strong> of the events, the identification and punishment of both the <strong>material and intellectual perpetrators</strong>, as well as guarantees of <strong>non-repetition</strong>.
That <strong>all lines of investigation be exhausted</strong>, especially those related to the <strong>environmental defense work</strong> carried out by activist and land defender <strong>Erik Saracho</strong>.
The <strong>urgent implementation of all measures and guarantees for the comprehensive and effective protection</strong> of the defender, his family, and collaborators of <strong>Alianza Jaguar</strong> and <strong>RedMAS</strong>.
That residents and communities in the region be guaranteed their <strong>right to defend their natural resources freely and without violence</strong>.

In San Pancho we will not give up. The defense of life, the guarantee of security and freedom, and the defense of land and territory are carried out with courage, but also through the enforcement of human rights. We will not allow violence to silence us. The undersigned organizations support Erik Saracho Agulilar’s work defending the territory.

Authorities addressed:

Presidencia de la República: Lic. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo Correo: [email protected]

Secretaría de Gobernación: Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez Correo: [email protected]

Subsecretaría de Derechos Humanos y Migración: Felipe Arturo Medina Padilla Correo: [email protected] [email protected]

Titular de la Unidad de Derechos Humanos: Dr. Froylan Vladimir Enciso Higuera Correo: [email protected]

Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos: Lic. Rosario Ibarra Piedra Correo: [email protected]

Fiscalía General de la República: Ernestina Godoy Ramos Correo: [email protected]

Presidencia Municipal de Bahía de Banderas: Héctor Javier Santana García Correo: [email protected]

Fiscalía General del Estado de Nayarit: Elvia Ludmila Heredia Verdugo Correo: [email protected]

Signing organizations:

Centro para el Desarrollo Social y la Sustentabilidad, Nuiwari, A. C. RedMAS Alianza Jaguar A.C. ProSayulita Universidad Popular de Movimientos Sociales, Nayarit Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos “Todos los Derechos para Todas, Todos y Todes” (Red TDT)

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