A demand for justice for Jairo killed by poachers for defending sea turtles
To the Honourable Laura Chinchilla, President of Costa Rica
Immediate justice must be sought for the brutal murder of sea turtle conservation worker Jairo Mora Sandoval that took place Friday May 31, 2013 at Moin Beach on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Your leadership to capture these sea turtle poachers and prosecute them to the full extent of the law is needed now to send a clear message to all citizens, conservationists, and tourists that murderous drug dealers do not rule Costa Rica’s beaches.
Costa Rica is respected around the world for its history of ocean and environmental conservation and for its peaceful, safe society that supports ecotourism. The sea turtle conservation community is already feeling the shock waves from brave Jairo Mora Sandoval’s murder. His courageous hard work continues along hundreds of beaches at projects that rely on international tourists to support nightly beach patrols. Now that human and sea turtle lives are in jeopardy on Costa Rican beaches, the entire ecotourism economy is in jeopardy.
Please take swift and decisive action to send a clear message to all sea turtle poachers across that country that their illegal actions will no longer be tolerated. Jairo Mora Sandoval’s murder must be solved and the criminals punished. All the prayers of all the sea turtle conservation workers across the world can not bring Jairo Mora Sandoval back, but you and your administration can turn his tragic death into a historic turning point to end the threat of violence on sea turtle nesting beaches and end poaching in Costa Rica forever.
Sincerely, Wesley Wang
