Peruvian Court Sentences Four for Indigenous Leader's Assassination

A national court in Peru has handed down significant prison sentences to four individuals convicted of the assassination of indigenous leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado. The Third National Criminal Collegiate Court found Genix Saboya, Limber Ríos, Segundo Villalobos, and Jerly Saboya guilty of contract killing, imposing sentences of 35 years for the first two, 28 years and four months for the third, and 15 years for the fourth as a primary accomplice.

The court's decision, announced Monday, followed a trial where prosecutors presented substantial personal, documentary, and expert evidence to demonstrate the defendants' culpability. The attack, which occurred on November 29, 2023, in the San Martín region, also injured other passengers on the boat with Inuma, including Axeldina Barbaran Tapullima, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

Prosecutors argued that the convicted individuals planned and executed Inuma's murder because they opposed his efforts to defend human rights and environmental integrity within his community. Inuma had filed numerous complaints against the accused to prevent deforestation and other crimes, such as illicit drug trafficking.

Despite being recognized as a human rights defender by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, and having been granted protection measures through the Early Warning Alert Procedure due to previous threats, Inuma was ultimately killed. The court determined that the attack was planned by the defendants, underscoring the risks faced by environmental and indigenous rights activists in the region.