Zara Alvarez, 39, a leader of campaigns against human rights violations including the group Karapatan, was gunned down by unidentified perpetrators at around 8:00 in the evening on Monday, August 17, along Sta. Maria Street in Eroreco, Barangay Mandalagan, Bacolod City, just a week after peace consultant and farmer activist Randall Echanis was murdered.

“What is beginning to look like killing spree of human rights defenders, peace advocates, and vocal critics in an attempt to sow terror and cower us into silence, especially now with the Anti-Terrorism Act in place,” Karapatan said.

According to the group, Alvarez was imprisoned for nearly two years. After her release, she continued to work as Karapatan's paralegal and as research and advocacy officer of the Negros Island Health Integrated Program (NIHIP).

"Today, we laid to rest Ka Randy Echanis, one of those who helped [establish] Karapatan and staunch peace-builder and land rights defender. Tonight, we learned of the sad news that our former campaign and education director and paralegal in Negros, Zara Alvarez, was killed in Bacolod City," Karapatan said.

According to AlterMidya’s report, just hours after Alvarez was found dead, Clarizza Singson—Karapatan's secretary-general for Negros, also received a death threat, saying “she is next”,

According to Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, Alvarez had been receiving death threats too.

“The military and police never ceased in harassing her even as she was distributing rice to impoverished members of her barangay just last April amid the mass hunger caused by the lockdowns. We have no doubt that State forces are behind her merciless murder — the latest in a string of killings in Negros ever since Memorandum Order No. 32 was implemented in November 2018,” the Secretary General said.

“When will the killings stop? We just buried a peace advocate yesterday and we’re not even through with mourning his death and we now have to grapple with the killing of one of our colleagues!” She added.

The dreadful death of Alvarez prompted the netizens to cry for justice as #JusticeForZaraAlvarez became a trend on Twitter.

According to Karapatan, Activist Zara Alvarez is the 13th human rights worker of Karapatan killed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.