Death of Jairo Mora Sandoval

Jairo Mora Sandoval (March 22, 1987 - May 31, 2013) was a Costa Rican environmentalist who was killed trying to protect the nests of a leatherback turtle. On May 30, 2013, just before midnight, Mora and four volunteers were abducted by a group of masked men. The women managed to escape and inform the police. Mora was found the next morning on the beach with his body tied and beaten. An autopsy found that he died of suffocation after suffering a blow to the head.

On his death, four people were convicted: José Brayan Quesada Cubillo, Héctor Martín Cash López, Donald Alberto Salmon Meléndez and Ernesto Enrique Centeno Rivas. On March 29, 2016, the Criminal Court of Limón imposed 35 years' imprisonment for the environmentalist's murder, and also condemned them for the crimes of rape, sexual assault against elder and minor, and aggravated deprivation of liberty and, in general, each was condemned with a total of 50 years in prison.

Sea turtles are protected by law in Costa Rica, but poaching remains common. The locals take the eggs, as they are believed to be an aphrodisiac, and sell them on the black market. The egg trade has been linked to drug trafficking and organized crime. Ecologists working in Limón say they are often threatened by trying to protect turtle eggs. Jairo Mora was one of these ecologists in the area. For the judges who condemned the murderers of Mora, the murder occurred because of the struggle of the looters of the turtle nests to steal the eggs and the environmentalists, who were headed, among others, by Jairo Mora. p>

Following the death of Mora, the organization for which he worked ended his patrol efforts in Costa Rica. His death drew international attention, including a United Nations declaration, as well as offering several rewards for information to help clarify the case. In Costa Rica, his death triggered a call for reform of environmental policy. On June 4, 2014 the government met with environmentalists to discuss possible changes in current policy. A plan presented by environmentalists and endorsed by the Minister of the Environment at that time, René Castro, would establish, among other changes, the creation of a new protected area, in addition, grant to the rangers more authority to arrest the poachers. On June 5, 2014 vigils were held throughout Costa Rica in honor of Mora. On June 18 of the same year, the government announced the allocation of ₡ 20 million (US $ 40,000), a sum that later rose to ₡ 30 million (US $ 60,000), to remind Mora. The killers of Jairo Mora were acquitted a year and soon after by lack of evidence, being unpunished his death.

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