The trial is due to start Tuesday for five men over the killing of an Indigenous Amazon leader, in a rare legal case that prosecutors and advocates say could test whether Peru can hold perpetrators accountable for violence linked to illegal logging and drug trafficking in one of the world's most dangerous regions for environmental defenders. Kichwa tribal leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado, 50, was killed on Nov. 29, 2023, after repeatedly denouncing illegal activity within his community's territory, per the AP. Prosecutors are seeking life sentences under charges of contract killing, a first in a case involving the murder of an Indigenous environmental defender in Peru.
The trial is being closely watched by Indigenous groups, environmental advocates, and international observers as a test of whether Peru can curb violence tied to illegal deforestation and drug trafficking in the Amazon, where community leaders who defend forests and land rights often face threats with little protection and few cases ever reaching court. Inuma, from Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu in Peru's northern Amazon region of San Martin, had received repeated threats for opposing illegal activities and was aware of the risks, said his son, 30-year-old Kevin Arnol Inuma. "He used to tell us that one day they might kill him and that we should be prepared," he told the AP.
The killing of Inuma followed years of threats and official warnings that went unheeded, according to Cristina Gavancho, a lawyer with the Lima-based Instituto de Defensa Legal, which has accompanied Indigenous organizations and victims' families since the killing.
She said Inuma was "ambushed and killed" while "returning to his community after participating in an event for defenders and Indigenous people." He was reportedly shot while traveling by boat along a river route. Prosecutors allege that the perpetrators, believed to have been illegal loggers, targeted Inuma because of his role defending Indigenous land and reporting illegal activities to authorities. Another community member was wounded and survived.
Five of the six suspects originally charged will face trial. A sixth suspect was killed in an attempted arrest last year during which he attacked police officers with a machete, Gavancho said. Prosecutors say they have built a strong case, including forensic gunshot-residue tests and witness testimony placing the accused at the scene around the time of the killing. Investigators also link the suspects to individuals Inuma had repeatedly reported to authorities for illegal logging and drug trafficking. More here.
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