“Judicial branch acquits 10 Urinsaya community members who protested against the Las Bambas mining company”, 23 October 2025

…The Supraprovincial Criminal Court A of Cusco recognised the innocence of eight male and two female environmental defenders from the Urinsaya community (Espinar), who had been unjustly accused of the alleged kidnapping of a security guard employed by a company providing services to the Las Bambas mining operation. The accusation arose after they took part in a peaceful protest on 30 January 2020, rejecting the pollution caused by the hundreds of mining trucks that pass through their territory every day…

During the trial, the person who had supposedly reported the kidnapping denied having filed the complaint and stated that they did not recognise their signature on the police record—suggesting that the accusation may have been fabricated to silence the defenders…

This decision represents an important step, and also a legal precedent, towards the respect and guarantee of the right to peaceful protest by the judiciary…