It took ten years for the Ashéninka community to obtain justice. In Peru, the criminal court of Ucayali, a region located in the Amazon rainforest, has just convicted businessmen from the forestry industry and loggers for the assassination of four leaders of this indigenous community in 2014. Return to this case.
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With our correspondent in Lima, Marion Bellal
It took six days of searching to find the mutilated bodies of Edwin Chota, Jorge Rios, Leoncio Quintisima and Francisco Pinedo. On September 1, 2014, four Peruvian leaders of the Ashéninka indigenous community disappeared while traveling to Brazil. They went there to seek the support of another community in their fight against illegal logging.
Today, the matter is perhaps finally reaching its conclusion. The culprits received 28 years and 3 months in prison, as “ co-perpetrators of aggravated homicide “. If the accused have until April 28 to appeal the decision of the Ucayali Criminal Court, it is already very important for the country. The lawyer for the victims’ families recalls that “ithis case served to initiate the necessary protection of environmental defenders “.
In addition to demonstrating the failures of the Peruvian state in supporting indigenous communities and in the fight against illegal logging, this decision should set a precedent for all similar cases. Edwin Chota was recognized in Peru and in the international media for his investment in the defense of the Amazonian forests.
Between 2013 and 2023, 33 indigenous leaders have been assassinated in Peru.
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