Threats against Indigenous environmental defenders; protest over new Machu Pichu ticketing system

Introduction

Human Rights Watch warns of political interference in Peru’s justice system

The Peruvian Congress arbitrarily removed two members from the National Board of Justice on 7th March 2024, undermining judicial independence, the rule of law and human rights protections. The dismissal of its members creates a pathway for political influence within the judicial and electoral systems, thereby jeopardising the right to vote.

Congress has increasingly taken steps to weaken democratic institutions. Since 2022, lawmakers have used improper processes to appoint judges, passed constitutional amendments allowing congressional re-election and limited the president’s authority to dissolve Congress. Congress has also made questionable appointments, including an ombudsperson lacking human rights experience, and removed a top prosecutor without legitimate grounds.

Human Rights Watch called for the international community to condemn these actions as they compromise the fundamental principles of democracy, separation of powers and judicial autonomy enshrined in the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

2023 Annual Report on Human Rights

On 15th March 2024, the National Human Rights Coordinator (Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos, CNDDHH) published a report, spotlighting a turbulent period in 2023 marked by political instability, social unrest and a rise in human rights violations. Key themes include state repression, systemic violence, targeting of Indigenous and vulnerable groups, and governmental actions undermining democracy.

Throughout 2023, actions were undertaken that altered the balance of power within Peru’s government, mainly regarding the judiciary’s independence. A shift in legislative practices enabled Congress to assume greater oversight of the Constitutional Tribunal, the National Board of Justice and key electoral bodies.

Furthermore, the government’s response to protests in areas with significant Indigenous populations has been marked by the use of live ammunition and lethal force. Protests in Andahuaylas, Ayacucho, Cuscoa and Juliaca led to numerous civilian casualties, including fatalities and injuries among people who were not directly involved in the demonstrations. Evidence gathered by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) indicated that force was directed at people’s chests and heads, suggestive of intentional lethal targeting rather than crowd control measures.

Association

Throughout the reporting period, human rights defenders faced various attacks, including death threats and criminalisation, with land defenders and Indigenous leaders being the primary targets.

Death threats against Indigenous environmental defenders

On 9th January 2024, Indigenous leader and environmental defender Marcelina Angulo, chair of the management committee of the Alto Nanay Pintuyacu Chambira Regional Conservation Area, alongside other committee members, received death threats from illegal miners. The Regional Organisation of Indigenous Peoples of the East (Organización Regional de Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente, ORPIO) reported that this incident followed a complaint featured in Caretas magazine in early January 2024. The complaint stemmed from a meeting with the Environmental Minister on 21st December 2023 in Iquitos, during which Angulo detailed earlier threats received in December while monitoring river activities to counter illegal mining.

Angulo’s work centres on safeguarding the Alto Nanay Pintuyacu Chambira Regional Conservation Area in the Pintuyacu River basin of the Peruvian Amazon. Since 2022, she has faced death threats from illegal miners in the Chambira basin as they continue operations which threaten the conservation and sustainability of this protected area.

On 29th February 2024, civil society organisations reported serious threats, ongoing since December 2023, against Olivia Bisa Tirko, leader of the Chapra Nation Autonomous Territorial Government. Tirko advocates for the collective rights of the Chapra Nation and other Indigenous groups in Datem del Marañón, Loreto, and the broader Peruvian Amazon, focusing on opposing environmental harm from oil operations. Her advocacy has exposed her to threats against both her life and those of her young children.

In response to these threats, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, issued an urgent appeal for the adoption of protective measures for Tirko and other Indigenous defenders in Peru. This appeal underscores the immediate need for security measures to safeguard those facing risks due to their environmental and human rights advocacy, especially within vulnerable Indigenous communities.

A coalition of 25 national and international civil society organisations issued a statement supporting the Rapporteur’s call, urging authorities to implement immediate measures to safeguard the life and integrity of Olivia Bisa, her family and other defenders of collective rights in Peru. They further called on Congress to repeal Law 31,973, known as the “Anti-Forest Law,” and to ratify the Escazú Agreement.

The Ministry of Justice reported that between June 2019 and October 2023, it addressed 212 risk situations affecting 414 human rights defenders and their families.

Huancabamba Prosecutor’s Office dismisses investigation against 15 environmental defenders

On 30th January 2024, the First Corporate Criminal Prosecutor’s Office of Huancabamba (Case No. 189-2020) dismissed the preliminary investigation against 15 environmental defenders in Huancabamba, Piura, including the parish priest, the mayor of Carmen de la Frontera, and members of the Segunda y Cajas peasant community. The allegations against them included torture, grievous bodily harm, coercion, kidnapping, conspiracy and aggravated robbery against Manuel Francisco Julca Campos, security agent of the company Río Blanco Cooper S.A.

The Prosecutor’s Office found insufficient evidence to support these charges, noting that the accused—acting as peasant patrols—had applied community justice under Article 149 of the Peruvian Constitution, which upholds Indigenous and communal justice systems. In 2008, amid a mining project conflict, the accused responded to alleged divisive actions within the community.

Despite closing the investigation for these 15 people, the Prosecutor’s Office has chosen to pursue a preparatory investigation against 11 other human rights defenders, also from the same community, applying different standards. This decision raises questions about consistency in legal treatment and the broader rights of Indigenous communities to exercise communal justice, particularly in cases where local groups resist corporate mining activities.

The Ecumenical Foundation for Development and Peace (FEDEPAZ), a Peruvian human rights organisation, welcomed the recent dismissal of charges against several human rights defenders but criticised the decision to open preparatory investigations against 15 others. FEDEPAZ asserted that these activists, like those previously exonerated, were merely defending fundamental rights to land and a healthy environment and their cases should have been similarly dismissed. This prolonged legal process, FEDEPAZ argued, reveals a broader strategy by state and corporate actors to criminalise those advocating for community rights, ultimately aiming to intimidate defenders and suppress legitimate protests.

New law sparks outcry over Indigenous rights and environmental threats

Law No. 31,973, enacted by the Peruvian Congress on 10th January 2024, commonly called by critics the “Anti-Forest Law”, introduces sweeping changes that raise significant concerns regarding Indigenous rights and environmental protection in the Amazon.

According to experts, Law 31,973 was officially aimed at re-zoning forest areas for agricultural use to provide stability in the agricultural sector and security for cultivators, with benefits expected for small-scale farmers. However, it was pushed through by a Congress controlled by pro-agribusiness members, following lobbying by the country’s main private business federation. Supporters argued that the legal changes were needed to protect Peruvian producers and navigate around the upcoming European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which, starting December 2024, will prohibit importing commodities tied to any illegal deforestation or legal deforestation after 2020.

By eliminating the classification of lands by major use capacity (CTCUM) process—a key mechanism for sustainable land use—this law has been criticised for promoting deforestation and forest degradation. According to official information, the law could affect at least 3,000 ongoing cases of forest crimes nationwide, including those involving over 4,000 hectares of illegal deforestation.

The law also poses serious risks to Indigenous land tenure, as approximately one-third of Indigenous territories in the Peruvian Amazon remain untitled, leaving these communities vulnerable to encroachment and exploitation. UN Special Rapporteur Francisco Cali Tzay emphasised that this law shift could facilitate land dispossession, directly threatening Indigenous people’s physical and cultural survival: “This happens at a time when the State still has pending obligations to fulfill to legally recognise and secure Indigenous People's territories,” the Special Rapporteur said.

In recent years, violence against Indigenous leaders, with at least 33 murdered for defending their territories, including Quinto Inuma of the Kichwa, highlights the severe consequences of weakening Indigenous land protections.

Civil society organisations are calling for the immediate repeal of Law 31,973 (see peaceful assembly). On 12th January 2024, a coalition, including the Institute of Legal Defence and FEDEPAZ, presented a constitutional challenge.

Police arrest alleged assassin in murder of Kichwa leader Quinto Inuma

On 18th February 2024, authorities arrested a person involved in the murder of Kichwa leader Quinto Inuma. Segundo Villalobos Guevara, an illegal logger, confessed to orchestrating the assassination, allegedly offering a payment of 1,000 soles (US$ 270) to carry out Inuma’s murder. Guevara arranged this act a day before a planned crackdown on illegal coca cultivation and an unauthorised airstrip, highlighting the threats connected to Inuma’s environmental work.

As previously reported by the Monitor, Quinto Inuma, a community leader and land defender, was killed on 29th November as he returned from a seminar for environmental defenders on the Yanayacu River in San Martin province in the Peruvian Amazon.

Indigenous women's organisation wins legal action against Petroperú and state entities over oil spills

On 8th March 2024, the Superior Court of Justice of Loreto ruled in favour of the Indigenous women’s organisation “Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana” from the Parinari district, declaring the Marañón River—an essential source of water and the Amazon’s primary origin—a subject of rights with inherent value. This ruling acknowledges a series of fundamental rights for the river, an unprecedented move in Peruvian environmental law.

In September 2021, the organisation filed a constitutional action in response to ongoing oil spills from the Norperuano Pipeline, operated by the state-owned Petroperú. This legal action held Petroperú, the National Water Authority (ANA), the Regional Government of Loreto, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Justice responsible for the environmental and health impacts that oil contamination has caused in Kukama communities.

Kukama women argued that the Peruvian state’s negligence in preventing and addressing these oil spills infringed upon their fundamental rights, including “freedom of religious belief” and the “right to cultural identity and social, cultural, and physical integrity of Indigenous peoples.” This includes the spiritual connection the Kukama people have with the rivers.

In a landmark element of the ruling, the court formally recognised Indigenous peoples as the guardians, defenders and representatives of the Marañón River and its tributaries. According to legal experts, this recognition aims to ensure the Marañón River’s protection through representation by both Indigenous communities and public institutions. The ruling extends these rights to other Indigenous groups, thus broadening protective measures for the river.

Peaceful Assembly

Outcry against private ticket sales in Machu Pichu

On 25th January 2024, protests commenced in the Cuzco region in response to a recent contract between the Ministry of Culture and the private company Joinnus for managing ticket sales to the Machu Picchu archaeological site. The contract, which transitioned the sale of tickets from a regional platform to the private sector, was part of a broader national effort to improve transparency and efficiency in managing access to heritage sites. The agreement has elicited significant public concern, particularly from residents, tour operators, activists and indigenous leaders, who alleged a lack of consultation and expressed opposition to the perceived privatisation of national heritage resources.

Media reports indicated that protesters temporarily blocked a railway near Machu Picchu, disrupting transportation between Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo, a critical route for tourists. This blockade led to the suspension of train services, impacting hundreds of tourists stranded in Aguas Calientes, the primary access point to Machu Picchu. Videos circulating on social media show stranded visitors appealing for assistance, with law enforcement authorities subsequently facilitating the evacuation of approximately 700 tourists.

Amid escalating tensions, police used tear gas against protesters, resulting in at least one reported injury, including head contusions, during confrontations near the railway.

On 31st January 2024, the Ministry of Culture, in coordination with the Cusco regional government, announced plans to gradually transfer the ticketing system to a government-administered digital platform overseen by the Secretariat of Digital Government. However, stakeholders continue to express reservations regarding the transition, emphasising the importance of transparency and regional consultation in the platform’s development.

Calls for justice echo in Puno on the anniversary of protest deaths

On 9th January 2024, hundreds took to the streets in Puno, holding funeral wreaths and black flags to demand justice a year after 18 people were killed in police repression during demonstrations against President Dina Boluarte.

The protesters displayed 18 black-and-white portraits of the deceased with the phrase, “If Puno is not Peru, as the president says, then what are we?”—a reference to the president’s statement shortly after the 9th January 2023 fatalities. Addressing the international press at the time, she remarked, “We have to protect the tranquillity of the 33 million Peruvians; Puno is not Peru.”

Protesters expressed their demands across three languages—Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Over 100 women, all dressed in black, travelled from Yunguyo, a rural town on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake and a significant site in Incan legends as the birthplace of the empire’s founders.

Protesters demand repeal of “Anti-Forest Law”

On 25th January 2024, environmental groups, university students and Indigenous leaders protested to demand the repeal of the “Anti-Forest Law” (see association). The protest began in University Park and Abancay Avenue before moving to the Congress of the Republic in Lima. With banners and powerful slogans, participants highlighted the corrupt corporate interests influencing parliament’s decisions, denouncing the perceived threats to forest conservation and Indigenous rights.

Women’s rights march

On 8th March 2024, hundreds of participants from feminist and social organisations marched through Lima to mark International Women’s Day, calling for dignified work and justice for victims of gender-based violence, along with those affected by recent protests and state repression. Women of all ages, dressed in red skirts and white shirts, united under slogans such as “Not one more murdered” and “Feminists fighting for equality and real democracy.”

Activists demand halt to Ariana mining project to protect water security

On 22nd March 2024, a demonstration led by activists and citizens from the Día Cero Perú campaign took place outside Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines to highlight concerns over the potential impacts of the Ariana mining project on Lima and Callao’s water sources. The protest featured symbolic displays illustrating potential water shortages and aimed to raise awareness about the risks to public water infrastructure that serves over 11 million residents. Activists argued that the Ariana project threatens critical water sources and have called for an assessment of areas unsuitable for mining to protect water security.

The protest follows an April 2023 court ruling that suspended the project pending additional hydrological studies due to these concerns. However, the Peruvian Government appealed the decision, emphasising the project’s economic importance. Legislative Decree 1,620, which allows private management of water services, has further intensified public opposition, with activists planning additional demonstrations to advocate for public control over essential water resources.

Expression

67 attacks on media in the first three months of 2024

According to the Press Freedom Thermometer, 67 incidents involving attacks against journalists and media outlets were reported between January and March 2024. This report, published by the Office for the Human Rights of Journalists (OFIP) of the National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP), highlighted civilians as the primary perpetrators, followed by public officials and security agents. Over half of these attacks occurred in the province of Lima. Key cases are summarised below:

On 29th January 2024, a group of six to eight protesters verbally attacked journalists Jacqueline Martínez from ATV and Juan Carlos Portilla from Latina TV. The journalists covered the surrender of Fray Vásquez Castillo, who turned himself in after almost two years on the run, facing charges of aggravated collusion within an alleged criminal network reportedly led by his uncle, former President Pedro Castillo. The incidents occurred outside Lima’s Division of High-Complexity Crime Investigations (DIVIAC).

While reporting live, Martínez and her cameraman, Luis Castro, encountered aggressive behaviour from the pro-Castillo demonstrators. During an on-air segment, a woman in the crowd called Martínez “Sold-out press, trash press” (“prensa vendida, prensa basura”). Another demonstrator intervened, shouting at Martínez, and, upon realising he was being filmed, threatened Castro, stating, “Get the camera off me, damn it” (“sácame la cámara, carajo”, and struck the camera. The Peruvian National Association of Journalists (ANP) condemned the harassment, emphasising the essential role of journalists in public interest reporting.

On 30th January, the National Police issued a formal statement condemning a satirical cartoon by Carlos Tovar, also known as “Carlín,” published in La República newspaper. The cartoon depicted three police officers, with two labelled as “delinquents,” a portrayal which the National Police criticised as damaging to the institution’s image. The statement declared that the cartoon “ridicules the police image,” describing it as an “affront” to the force.

Consequently, the National Police ordered the Attorney General’s office to initiate legal proceedings against La República and any responsible parties involved. Roberto Pereira, legal advisor for the Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS), argued that the legal action was unfounded, noting that the cartoon constitutes a form of critical expression directed at a public institution already under scrutiny for “objective and verifiable” incidents. IPYS condemned the National Police’s response as a potential threat to freedom of expression.

On 2nd February 2024, journalist César Gonzaga Fasanando reported being physically pushed and intimidated by notary public Luis Enrique Cisneros Olano while attempting to interview him outside the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tarapoto, San Martín. Gonzaga approached Cisneros Olano after the latter provided testimony in an investigation concerning allegations of ideological falsehood in awarding a contract for judicial notice publications in the region amid suspected irregularities.

On 19th March, Liubomir Fernández, a journalist based in Puno for La República, reported ongoing harassment and surveillance directed at him and his family. The harassment began following his investigative reporting on an alleged pyramid scheme implicating local police officers. He also received a threatening WhatsApp message: “Now you will meet me. One report, and you will know me. You will regret it for the rest of your life.”

Through a series of articles, Fernández exposed a pyramid scheme reportedly managed by a financial entity linked to ex-police officers Gary Flores and César Flores, who allegedly misappropriated millions of Peruvian soles. In his investigation, Fernández highlighted that Calmet played a role in facilitating the transfer and potential sale of seized properties to recover funds for implicated parties.

On 29th March, the ANP condemned a recent action by Prosecutor Alcides Chinchay Castillo, who requested investigative journalist Gustavo Gorriti to turn over information from his mobile phone, under threat of lifting his communications secrecy. The ANP argued that the request infringes on Gorriti’s fundamental right to protect his sources, a principle essential to journalism.

It also highlighted that this case is part of a troubling pattern of harassment, stigmatisation and intimidation targeting the online newspaper IDL Reporteros' team and its director, Gustavo Gorriti, over the past decade. The ANP observed a trend where authorities attempt to undermine journalists’ credibility by implicating them in unrelated criminal investigations, using legal measures to silence or punish critical media.

These incidents occurred amid a challenging climate for journalists. In 2023, the National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) recorded an unprecedented 352 attacks against journalists and media outlets—the highest annual total in the 21st century. This figure surpassed prior records in 2022 (303 cases), 2020 (239 cases), and 2007 (212 cases).

The report documented a hostile environment, with attacks from both government forces (police and military) and non-state actors (extremist groups and civilians). Moreover, journalists in regions outside Lima report heightened risks and less institutional support. This includes inadequate physical protections and limited access to legal recourse, exacerbating vulnerabilities for regional press members covering local governance and social issues.

President Dina Boluarte’s hostility towards the press amid investigations

Since the start of 2024, President Dina Boluarte has exhibited repeated hostility towards the press, especially in light of ongoing investigations involving her and her family members. On 17th January 2024, she criticised the media for covering her brother Nicanor Boluarte’s alleged irregularities in registering his political party, Ciudadanos por el Perú. She accused the investigative news outlet Cuarto Poder of defamation after it revealed that prefects and sub-prefects had collected signatures for her brother's party, implying misuse of public office.

Further tension arose on 30th March, when Boluarte, addressing the nation regarding the “Rolexgate” scandal, accused the press of “systematic attack and harassment.” Rolexgate emerged mid-March following a journalistic investigation that alleged Boluarte possessed several undeclared luxury watches, prompting the Public Prosecutor’s Office to raid her home and presidential office.

On the same day, the ANP condemned Boluarte’s recent address to the nation, where she portrayed journalistic coverage as a form of “systematic harassment,” labelling the information as “tendentious and false news.” President Boluarte further claimed that the media was being used to create “chaos and uncertainty” to the detriment of the country.