Noel Aguilar was a human rights defender working for the protection of the beaches and the communal and land rights of the community of Barra de la Cruz, Oaxaca. He was also a member of the Committee for the Defence of Indigenous Peoples (Comité de Defensa de los Pueblos Indígenas - CODEDI), an organisation promoting the rights of indigenous communities to land, autonomy and self-determination, with a particular focus on the defence of human rights violations produced by hydroelectric and mining projects in the state of Oaxaca. CODEDI has worked for more than 20 years on the promotion and protection of human rights of 50 communities in different regions in the state of Oaxaca.