Environmental defender speaks out after murder of his brother: “The murderer is part of the illegal miners”

Germán Fernández Hanco is the name of the environmental defender who witnessed the murder of his brother Juan Fernández Hanco last Sunday, March 20, he he finds very sure who was the murderer of this organized crime.

The victim, Juan Fernández Hanco, was a member of the association of reforesters of the community of Nueva Arequipa, located at kilometer 105 of the Interoceanic Highway, in the district of Inambari. The brother of the deceased, Germán Fernández Hanco, is governor of Nueva Arequipa and coordinator of the Tambopata National Reserve Management Committee. Therefore, the Fernández brothers acted as environmental defenders, and were seen as enemies by illegal miners seeking to invade the areas.

The crime was in Nueva Arequipa, where there is also illegal mining, this is a buffer area of the Tambopata National Reserve.

Germán spoke with the newspaper La República, explained that the murderer belongs to illegal mining and when he committed the crime he received protection from other subjects dedicated to it criminal activity.

“My brother raised fighting cocks and that Sunday he had invited his friends and townspeople to a 'chusqueada' (cockfight) in the coliseum he has at his home in Nueva Arequipa. At 9 pm, when the event was over, and everyone was retreating, one of the people who stayed until the last one drew his gun and shot him at point-blank range. I was there and he signed me up too. I realized that in his escape the murderer received protection from several of those who stayed in the end. Although only one shot Juan, the others accompanied and covered the criminal's escape,” said Germán Fernández.

“My brother died immediately. It was two shots that hit him. One shattered his chin and the second entered his stomach,” he said.

He said they wanted to kill him, too. It was not a “drunken fight”, according to a version that was circulated at the beginning. Clearly, the Fernández brothers were uncomfortable for illegal miners.

“The attacker is already identified. Although we don't know him by name, we do know him by his nickname, 'Chili'. Unfortunately, his last name is like us, Fernández. His brother 'Coco' was also present in the attack. He wears a tattoo with his surname on his right leg. On the run, 'Chili''s brother, 'Coco', also shot, but didn't hurt anyone. My brother Juan's killer is part of the illegal miners,” Germán Fernández said.

These illegal miners were constantly threatening him, sending intimidations and attacks. “The killer is one of those people who invaded my father's land in 2011 and, in 2013, my brother José's property. They came from the front to kill us. They are a mafia that enters at gunpoint to invade land,” he said.

Governor Germán Fernández and his relatives informed the authorities about the identity of the brothers' Chili 'and' Coco ', so the arrest of both should not take long.

“They started out as hit men hired by illegal miners to invade land. Later, those miners disappeared and now they have started working on their land as illegal miners,” said Germán Fernández.

This family is originally from Juliaca, Puno, and they came to Mother of God 50 years ago, by the hand of the patriarch. The family has returned to Juliaca to bury Juan Fernández.

“My brother Juan had a reforestation concession and was dedicated to planting trees. He was dedicated to conservation, until he was killed”, concluded Germán Fernández.

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