"OPEN LETTER: Justice for Quinto Inuma: International organisations call for an end to violence and impunity against Indigenous human rights defenders in Peru", 20 January 2026

...Today marks the start of the trial in the criminal case for the murder of Apu Quinto Inuma Alvarado, a respected Kichwa indigenous leader and defender of environmental human rights in the community of Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu, in the Peruvian Amazon. Quinto Inuma was killed on 29 November 2023, while returning to his community, when shots fired at his boat killed him and wounded fellow community member Axeldina Barbarán. His murder came after years of threats related to his work defending indigenous land rights and the environment. With the start of the oral hearings on 20 January 2026, which will continue on 21 and 22 January, the undersigned international organisations express our solidarity with the family and community of Quinto Inuma and call for justice to be done. We affirm that we will closely monitor this process and emphasise that its outcome is important not only for this case, but also for the protection of indigenous and environmental human rights defenders around the world, and for the future of the Amazon, a region of vital importance for the global climate.

Apu Quinto was a central figure in efforts to secure the collective land titling of Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu, a process essential to protecting the Indigenous territory from land trafficking, illegal logging and illicit narcotics production. He spent years denouncing threats against his community’s lands and working through institutional channels to demand protection...

Quinto was also a founding member and Steering Group member of the Zero Tolerance Initiative, which seeks to address the root causes of killings and violence against human rights defenders linked to global supply chains. In this role, he spoke openly about the risks faced by Indigenous leaders who defend their territories and rights.

​The murder of Quinto Inuma is emblematic of the broader crisis facing Indigenous defenders protecting the Amazon...

What makes this case particularly significant is that, unlike most killings of Indigenous defenders, the investigation has identified both the material perpetrators and the alleged intellectual authors of the crime, and criminal charges have been brought against them. The defendants face charges of contract killing, attempted murder, and personal concealment, with varying degrees of involvement. This advances the possibility of accountability in a context where justice is too often denied. Justice in this case would send a clear message that violence against defenders will not be tolerated...

Delivering justice in this case would represent a critical step towards ending impunity for crimes against Indigenous and environmental defenders, and towards honouring Apu Quinto Inuma’s legacy of defending the forests and waters of the Amazon, a legacy that remains vital not only for Indigenous peoples, but for global climate protection...