Peru court hands lengthy prison terms in killing of Indigenous Amazon defender
Summary
A court in Peru sentenced four men to 15 to 35 years in prison for the 2023 murder of Quinto Inuma Alvarado, an Indigenous Amazon rainforest defender. The killing was linked to his fight against illegal logging on his community’s land.Key Facts
- Quinto Inuma Alvarado, a 50-year-old Kichwa leader, was shot and killed on November 29, 2023.
- He was targeted because of his work against illegal logging in the northern Amazon region of San Martin, Peru.
- Four men were convicted: two sentenced to 35 years, one to 28 years and 4 months, and one accomplice to 15 years.
- The trial lasted nearly eight months and included hearings in both Lima and the Amazon city of Tarapoto.
- Inuma had warned authorities about threats and received police protection, but law enforcement struggled to patrol the remote area.
- This is the first case in Peru involving the killing of an Indigenous defender to result in sentences this severe.
- The verdict is seen as an important step toward justice and accountability for violence against Indigenous and environmental defenders in the Amazon.
- Prosecutors accused a timber operator, Segundo Juan Villalobos Guevara, of ordering the murder because Inuma had denounced him for illegal logging.
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