321 murdered, hundreds assaulted: 2018 deadliest year on record for human rights activists

Last year was the deadliest on record for human rights activists with at least 321 murdered and many hundreds more assaulted, detained or disappeared.

While most of the attacks took place in a small group of countries with persistently poor human rights records - Colombia and Mexico in particular - concerns are also being raised about a spate of new laws in other countries which, it is feared, will make activists more vulnerable.