Five men are set to stand trial in Peru over the 2023 killing of an Indigenous Amazon defender. The rare case, which is due to start on Tuesday, could test the legal accountability for violence linked to illegal logging and drug trafficking. Kichwa tribal leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado, 50, was killed on Nov. 29, 2023, after repeatedly denouncing illegal activity within his community’s territory. Prosecutors are seeking life sentences, an unprecedented step in cases involving murdered environmental defenders. The trial has drawn national and international attention amid widespread violence against Indigenous leaders in the Amazon and criticism of Peru’s failure to implement protection measures despite known threats.
