José Mario Rivera was a Honduran environmental defender from the village of Ceibita in the department of Colón where he was actively engaged in the defense of his territory against mining project, Guapinol owned by Inversiones los Pinares. Guapinol has been a source of conflict ever since mining company Inversiones los Pinares was given the concession which the surrounding communities claim was illegal. Since then, 32 members of the resistance movement have been criminalised and activists have been threatened and stigmatised. On 28th August 2019, José Mario Rivera was shot, just a day before the trial of 9 people who oppose the mining project was set to begin in San Pedro Sula. National networks and international organisations, such as the International Human Rights Federation, wholeheartedly reject the killing of José Mario Rivera and fellow activist Roberto Antonio Argueta Tejada, especially since the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights has only just left the country after having visited Colón, drawing specific attention to the vulnerability of land and territory defenders.