Peruvian indigenous organizations denounce the murder of three leaders

Lima, 24 Mar Several native organizations from various Peruvian regions denounced this Thursday the murder of three indigenous leaders in the Huánuco department, in the center of the country, and the “continuing situation of violation of rights” that these peoples suffer. Three leaders of the Asheninka indigenous people, Jesús Antaihua and his wife Nusat Benavides, and Gemerson Pizango, were killed on March 22 in the province of Puerto Inca, in the Huánuco region, the organizations detailed in a statement, in which they did not provide further details of the crime. The marriage was part of the Cleyton community, while Pizango was part of the native community of Santa Teresa, the information added. “The value of human life, but still of indigenous life, has been completely lost and it seems that more for the authorities who do not implement effective protection systems,” the complainants complained. The Regional Organization AIDESEP Ucayali (ORAU) and the Regional Association of Indigenous Peoples, which encompasses more than 400 native communities in the regions of Junín, Ucayali, Pasco Huánuco and Loreto, “categorically rejected the wave of violence that hangs over peoples and which, they say, are “caused by the advancement of illegal activities.” The document states that these three murders are due to “territorial pressures by illegal mafias” such as those of drug trafficking and illegal mining, activities that they define as “unsustainable”. In addition, they state that these practices are “enhanced by infrastructure projects without technical support and the state corruption of authorities responsible for administering justice, which ensures their impunity”. “The intersectoral mechanisms, the measures mandated by the State, prove not only insufficient, but inappropriate. They do not reach communities, they only promote the identification of threats,” they warned. They emphasized that the Congress has not ratified the agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean of Escazú, regarding protocols for the protection of the environment. They also emphasized that “the State continues to make diagnoses and implement ineffective mechanisms”, which is why they called for “self-defense”. “We can't lose any more lives to protect our territories! We can't lose any more lives to protect forests!” , they concluded. CHIEF pbc/gdl/rrt