Óscar Eyraud Adams
Born1986
Tecate, Baja California, Mexico
Died24 September 2020(2020-09-24) (aged 33–34)
Tecate, Baja California, Mexico
Occupation
  • Indigenous rights activist

Óscar Eyraud Adams (c. 1986 – 24 September 2020) was a Mexican indigenous activist known for campaigning in favour of water rights for the Kumeyaay tribe in Baja California and against the dispossession of water supplies by international companies.[1]

Personal life

Eyraud was born in Tecate, Baja California. He was a member of the Kumeyaay community of Juntas de Neji.[2] Eyraud's cousin, Zulema Adams Pereyra, served as the mayor of Tecate.[3]

Activism

In 2020, Eyraud received local press attention after a video of him showing how his crops had dried up following the community water source's diversion was released.[4] Eyraud was critical of the National Water Commission's (CONAGUA) refusal to grant the Kumeyaay community in Juntas de Neji use of a well, while at the same time granting wells to local businesses, including at least twelve to a local Heineken factory.[2][5] In addition to his work on water rights, Eyraud was also a proponent of increased rights for Mexico's indigenous groups, including the right to self-determination.[2]

Outside of his advocacy for the Kumeyaay, Eyraud also spoke out in favour of the Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE) and their protests against educational reforms being put forward during the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto.[2] Eyraud also spoke out against forced disappearances.[6]

Murder

On 24 September 2020 Eyraud was chased down his street and shot dead outside his home in Tecate by multiple assassins driving two vehicles with tinted windscreens.[4][2][7] Eyraud was among 30 activists killed in Mexico in 2020.[1] It was reported that his killers had links to the narco-state.[8] Following Eyraud's murder, the Northwest National Indigenous Congress and the Northwest Regional Network of Resistance and Rebellions paid tribute to him, calling him "a social fighter for the rights of indigenous people".[8]

The day after Eyraud's death, his brother-in-law was shot dead in a shop in Tecate.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Record number of environmental activists murdered". BBC News. 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Oropeza, Daliri (2020-09-27). "Óscar Eyraud Adams: guerrero que defendió el agua del pueblo Kumiai - Pie de Página". Pie de Página (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  3. 1 2 "Brother-in-law of slain water activist killed in Baja California". Mexico News Daily. 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  4. 1 2 "Murders of environment and land defenders hit record high". the Guardian. 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  5. ↑ "Climate activists are being killed for trying to save our planet. There is a way to help | Bill McKibben". the Guardian. 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  6. ↑ "Óscar Eyraud Adams: A Warrior Who Defended the Water of the Kumiai People". Sexta Grietas del Norte. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  7. ↑ "Óscar Eyraud, activista indígena, es asesinado en BC; había reclamado falta de agua en su comunidad". SinEmbargo MX (in Spanish). 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  8. 1 2 "On the Murder of Comrade Oscar Eyraud Adams in Baja California". AMW English. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
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