Key facts
- Four men were convicted of murder-for-hire for the 2023 killing of Indigenous rainforest defender Quinto Inuma Alvarado.
- Two men received 35-year sentences, one received over 28 years, and another received 15 years.
- Inuma was targeted for his efforts to stop illegal logging on his community's land.
- The court ordered compensation for Inuma's legal heirs and the woman wounded in the attack.
- The ruling is considered an exemplary sentence and a potential precedent for other environmental defender cases in Peru.
A Peruvian court has handed down lengthy prison sentences to four men convicted of murder-for-hire in the 2023 killing of Indigenous rainforest defender Quinto Inuma Alvarado. The ruling, which saw sentences ranging from 15 to 35 years, is being closely watched as a test of accountability for violence against Indigenous and environmental defenders in the Amazon.
Genix Saboya Saboya and Limber Ríos Ruiz received the maximum sentence of 35 years. Segundo Juan Villalobos Guevara, identified as a timber operator who prosecutors allege ordered the killing due to Inuma's efforts to stop illegal logging, was sentenced to 28 years and four months. Jerly Saboya Saboya received a 15-year sentence as an accomplice.
Inuma, a 50-year-old Kichwa leader, was shot and killed on November 29, 2023, while traveling by boat to his community. He had been returning from a national meeting of environmental and land defenders. A woman traveling with him was also wounded in the attack.
Prosecutors stated that Inuma was targeted because of his activism against illegal logging on his community's land. The Legal Defense Institute noted that Inuma's community had filed 13 complaints regarding environmental crimes and drug trafficking between 2016 and 2023. Despite being classified as high-risk and granted police protection measures in 2021, authorities cited a lack of funds for boats and difficult geography as reasons for being unable to patrol the remote territory.
Lawyers involved in the case, including Cristina Gavancho of the Legal Defense Institute, hailed the ruling as an "exemplary sentence" and a significant step towards justice, potentially setting a precedent for other cases of environmental defenders in Peru. Kevin Arnol Inuma, the victim's son, expressed a mix of happiness and sadness, stating that the verdict would now set a precedent for Indigenous peoples and environmental defenders.
The case's significance was underscored by the killing of another Indigenous leader, Américo Pascuala Tomisha, just a day before the verdict, highlighting the ongoing dangers faced by those protecting ancestral lands in the Amazon. The court also ordered compensation totaling 750,000 soles (approximately $223,500) for Inuma's heirs and 250,000 soles (approximately $74,500) for the survivor, though these payments are contingent on the ruling becoming final after potential appeals.