Five men to stand trial in Peru over killing of Amazon Indigenous leader

Five men are due to go on trial on Tuesday in Peru over the killing of Kichwa tribal leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado, in a case seen as testing whether the state can hold perpetrators accountable for violence linked to illegal logging and drug trafficking in the Amazon. Prosecutors say Inuma was killed on 29 November 2023 after repeatedly denouncing illegal activity in his community's territory and are seeking life sentences on charges of contract killing, which they describe as a first in a case involving the death of an Indigenous environmental defender in Peru.

The trial will be closely watched by Indigenous groups, environmental advocates and international observers. Family members and advocates say Inuma, from Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu in the northern Amazonian region of San Martín, had received repeated threats. His son Kevin Arnol Inuma said: "My father was deeply committed to his territory and his community" and that "being a real environmental defender requires a lot of sacrifice – walking through the forest, in sun and rain, and exposing yourself to danger." The attack occurred while Inuma was travelling by boat along a river route used to reach his community; prosecutors say he was shot during an ambush and fell into the river, and another community member was injured and survived.

Cristina Gavancho of the Instituto de Defensa Legal said the killing followed years of threats and official warnings that went unheeded.

Key Topics

World, Quinto Inuma Alvarado, Peru, San Martin, Kichwa, Illegal Logging