27.08.2025
Justice brought to families of murdered indigenous leaders
On 26 August, a group of illegal loggers was convicted of killing four representatives of the Ashéninka people in Perú. The brutal murders took place in September 2014 and were intended to quell resistance to illegal logging activities in indigenous territories. After almost 11 years of legal battles, the group of men was finally convicted and sentenced to 28 years in prison flanked by hundreds of thousands of dollars in civil reparations.
The remoteness of such rainforest areas means that illegal activities and crimes often go unnoticed and without punishment. The verdict sets an important precedent the more than 30 indigenous representatives killed in the border region between Peru and Brazil recent years.
Climate Alliance has worked closely with the Peruvian indigenous organisation, AIDESEP, for many years and has repeatedly supported the widows of the murdered representatives in this particular case in their efforts to obtain justice.
