On 13 February 2025, three members of the Unión de Comunidades Indígenas de la Zona Norte del Istmo (UCIZONI)—Wilfrido Atanacio, Victoriano Quirino, and Abraham Quirino—were killed in an armed ambush in Santo Domingo Petapa, Oaxaca. The victims, from the Ayuujk community of El Platanillo, had previously reported threats due to their opposition to the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), a major infrastructure project. National and international NGOs condemned the attack and demanded urgent protection for Indigenous land defenders, an end to criminalisation and violence, and accountability for those responsible.

In the same month the Union of Indigenous Communities of the Northern Zone of the Isthmus (Unión de Comunidades Indígenas de la Zona Norte del Istmo, Ucizoni) temporarily closed their offices in the Istmo de Tehuantepec region due to escalating threats, intimidation, and violence linked to their opposition to the CIIT.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited the Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de Tehuantepec (CIIT) to respond; its response can be found below.