In May 2025, the criminalisation of environmental and social defenders opposing the Tía María mining project in the Valle de Tambo, Arequipa, Peru, has intensified. A third preliminary investigation was initiated through the judicial system against several defenders, including community leaders and activists who have publicly expressed their opposition to the Southern Peru Copper Corporation’s project.

International organisations, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, have condemned these practices, noting that defenders in Arequipa and Cajamarca continue to face threats, attacks, and lengthy prison sentences simply for exercising their rights to protest and defend the environment