In a landmark decision that could reshape the landscape for Indigenous rights in the Amazon, a Peruvian court delivered significant prison sentences to four men convicted of a murder-for-hire plot. The case centers around the 2023 assassination of Quinto Inuma Alvarado, a dedicated Indigenous rainforest defender. This ruling is considered a test of the accountability mechanisms in place to protect environmental defenders in the region.
Among the sentenced, Genix Saboya Saboya and Limber Ríos Ruiz received 35-year terms. Segundo Juan Villalobos Guevara, a timber operator accused of orchestrating Inuma’s killing, was sentenced to 28 years and four months. Jerly Saboya Saboya, found guilty as an accomplice, received a 15-year sentence.
Inuma, a prominent Kichwa leader aged 50, was fatally shot on November 29, 2023, while returning by boat to his village, Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu, after attending a national meeting of environmental and land defenders. The attack also injured a woman traveling with him.
The verdict was pronounced nearly 1,000 days post Inuma’s untimely death. Tom Younger of the Forest Peoples Programme hailed the decision as a significant stride towards justice, emphasizing it as evidence against the inevitability of impunity for such murders.
Prosecutors claimed that Inuma was targeted due to his active opposition against illegal logging on community lands. Villalobos was portrayed as the mastermind who ordered the killing, with the others involved in the planning and execution.
Cristina Gavancho, an attorney with the Legal Defense Institute in Lima, emphasized the ruling’s exemplary nature, noting it could set a critical precedent for similar cases involving environmental defenders in Peru. She remarked that this is the first instance where such severe sentences were imposed for the murder of an Indigenous defender in the country.
Inuma had repeatedly warned authorities of threats
The trial commenced on January 20, lasting nearly eight months. A crucial development in March saw judges journey to Tarapoto in the Amazon for three days of hearings, collecting testimonies from Inuma’s family, witnesses, and a survivor.
Inuma had persistently reported illegal activities like logging and drug trafficking encroaching on his community’s land. Between 2016 and 2023, Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu’s residents filed 13 complaints concerning environmental crimes and drug trafficking.
Inuma was recognized as high-risk by Peru’s Justice Ministry in 2021, which ordered police protection. However, logistical challenges and financial constraints prevented effective patrolling in the remote areas.
Kevin Arnol Inuma, the deceased leader’s son, expressed mixed emotions upon receiving the verdict, indicating a blend of happiness and sadness after a prolonged wait for justice. “Before, there was no response from the state, so they were not afraid to kill,” he shared with The Associated Press. “Now this sets a precedent for Indigenous peoples, a precedent for environmental defenders.”
Another Indigenous leader killed a day before verdict
Inuma’s death exemplifies the peril faced by Indigenous protectors of forests and ancestral territories in Peru’s Amazon, plagued by illegal logging, drug trafficking, mining, and land grabbing, often with minimal state intervention.
Tragically, just a day before the verdict, another Indigenous leader, Américo Pascuala Tomisha, was killed while patrolling his territory. The 57-year-old Ashéninka leader was reportedly shot during a confrontation with outsiders extracting oil from copaiba trees in the Ucayali region.
These incidents underscore ongoing threats, with Indigenous communities along the Peru-Brazil border raising alarms over armed incursions. In response, Brazil and Peru agreed to bolster cooperation to safeguard Indigenous territories, following appeals from leaders for governmental protection.
Family says risks remain despite convictions
The court also mandated compensation payments amounting to 750,000 soles (approximately $223,500) for Inuma’s heirs and 250,000 soles (about $74,500) for Axeldina Barbarán Tapullima, who survived the attack. These compensations are contingent upon the ruling becoming final, pending potential appeals.
Despite the legal victory, the Inuma family remains uneasy about safety, apprehensive about future risks if the convicted individuals are released. The responsibility of defending their land now falls on Inuma’s kin and community.
Kevin Arnol Inuma hopes for swifter justice for other families facing similar ordeals, stating, “Although they can no longer give us our family members back, we want justice for the other defenders whose cases are still going on.” He concludes, “Now my father can rest in peace because justice has been done.”
