Julio Ramírez was President of the board of the Farmers Development Committee (CODECA) from the community of San Antonio Seja in the department of Izabal. CODECA fights for land access and labour rights for farmers against the imposition of economic projects such as palm oil, mining and hydroelectric dams. CODECA has been the victim of aggressions for many years. In 2018, 6 of it´s members were killed. CODECA has also been the victim of criminalisation attempts by local authorities and energy company ENERGUATE. On 12th July 2019, Julio Ramírez was shot by unknown armed men as he returned to his house. The Human Rights Defender Protection Observatory insists that his killing is linked to his activism in defense of his territory and demands that the case is investigated thoroughly.