Cristino Castro Perea, 63, was targeted late Friday in southern Oaxaca state by two people passing on a motorcycle, according to the Center for Human Rights and Advice to Indigenous Peoples (CEDHAPI).

"Two people on a motorcycle fired on him repeatedly, costing his life," the group said.

Castro Perea was part of an environmental group that since 2013 has opposed the development of an ambitious project planned to cover 60 acres (24 hectares) along a Pacific Ocean beach.

Amid local protests, Mexico's federal government in 2023 classified the site as a protected natural zone, blocking the construction of a hotel.

The Mexican bureau of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the shooting, which it said happened despite the fact that Castro Perea in theory enjoyed special federal protection extended to certain journalists and activists.

It called on the government to investigate the shooting and to guarantee the protection of other members of his group.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for rights and environmental activists.

Eighteen eco-activists were killed there in 2023 and few of the crimes have been solved, according to the international group Global Witness.

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