World News
Peruvian court sentences four men in 2023 murder of Indigenous Amazon defender
A court in Peru handed down prison sentences ranging from 15 to 35 years for the murder-for-hire of Kichwa leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado.
The short version
- A Peruvian court convicted four men, including a timber operator who ordered the hit, for the 2023 murder of Indigenous land defender Quinto Inuma Alvarado.
- The defendants received sentences ranging from 15 to 35 years in prison, marking a rare instance of severe punishment for violence against Amazonian activists in Peru.
- The defense team has five days after receiving the full written judgment to appeal the verdict and associated financial compensation orders.
- The ruling comes amid ongoing violence against Indigenous leaders, including the killing of Ashéninka leader Américo Pascuala Tomisha just a day before the verdict.
Key facts
- Genix Saboya Saboya and Limber Ríos Ruiz were each sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Kichwa leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado.[Associated Press]
- Timber operator Segundo Juan Villalobos Guevara received a sentence of 28 years and four months for ordering the attack, while accomplice Jerly Saboya Saboya was sentenced to 15 years.[Associated Press]
- Inuma was shot and killed on November 29, 2023, while returning by boat to his community of Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu after reporting illegal logging and drug trafficking on ancestral lands.[Associated Press]
- The court ordered approximately $223,500 in compensation for Inuma's legal heirs and $74,500 for a woman who was shot and wounded during the same attack.[Associated Press]
- A day before the verdict, Ashéninka Indigenous leader Américo Pascuala Tomisha was shot dead while patrolling community territory in Peru's Ucayali region.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- The convictions and financial compensation orders are subject to potential appeals, which defendants may file within five days of receiving the full written judgment.[Associated Press]