Defend the Defenders” is a global rallying cry to stop egregious levels of violence and repression against environmental activists around the world: at least 146 defenders killed in 2024 alone, over 2,000 in the last decade, and countless more assaulted and imprisoned. But while the call to action is strong and clear, defenders worldwide contend with counter-narratives framing them as self-interested activists trying to bully their way past outcomes of market capitalism and the democratic process they don’t like. A recent civil trial in South Dakota, in which the pipeline builder Energy Transfer Partners convinced a jury to penalize Greenpeace $660 million for supporting Standing Rock protesters in 2016, starkly revealed these competing narratives.

This panel brings to Iowa a trio of environmental lawyers with decades of experience supporting community-based struggles for land rights and environmental justice, in the US and internationally. They will explore how environment and land defenders raise questions of culture, history, community, and self-determination that are deeper than and not fully determined by legislative and scientific frameworks. This often puts defenders work in contexts that the law struggles to comprehend. Understanding the complex role played by defenders is critical to ensuring that the law serves as a neutral source of protection and conflict resolution, rather than yet another threat of harm.