In our work to support cases of Earth Defenders and Indigenous communities at risk, such as Herlin Odicio and the Kakataibo People in Peru, Amazon Watch has faced moments of fleeting hope in the struggle against the violent invasion of Indigenous territories. These experiences have convinced us of the urgent need to enhance our strategies. As a result we have complemented our support for resistance and security plans with proposals to reform how Amazonian governments and international cooperation address the issue of violence. This new focus is on tackling the violence and deforestation caused by transnational criminal groups, which are effectively gaining territorial control and diversifying production in the region.
With this challenging context in mind, we launched our new report Amazon Underworld. Criminal Economies in the World´s Largest Rainforest in which we combined our years of experience accompanying threatened Indigenous defenders with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Their research capacity along with detailed crime maps revealed by the Amazon Underworld journalism project, resulted in a series of specific recommendations that seek to put the territorial rights of Indigenous peoples at the center of the debate.
The purpose of the report launch was to promptly achieve specific results. Initially, the report enabled us to engage in discussions and formulate an advocacy and campaign plan in collaboration with our Indigenous partners. This plan is geared towards securing direct support and protection for communities and defenders facing threats.
Following a productive dialogue with Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon (AIDESEP) leaders, consensus was reached on the creation of a proposal that aims to integrate Indigenous rights into anti-drug policies and is scheduled for presentation next year.
Additionally, our goal was to communicate our conclusions to Peruvian government authorities, international institutions, and the ambassadors of countries importing timber, cocaine, and gold. During this presentation, lead researcher Bram Ebus, Indigenous leader Herlin Odicio, and Amazon Watch Field Coordinator Vladimir Pinto conveyed to representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and other embassies, as well as to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, a diverse range of Peruvian ministries, the Ombudsman, and the security community, that current policies are ineffective.
The group explained to these institutions that existing protection measures and mechanisms are not being implemented, and there is increasing evidence that complicity between the illegal economies and government authorities is not only not being contained, but growing stronger; that we must start acting now, and that once again the quickest way is to guarantee free and secure Indigenous territories.
The emergency continues
Only a few days later, the warnings voiced by the Indigenous movement tragically materialized once again. Quinto Inuma became the thirty-second Peruvian Indigenous leader to be brutally murdered since 2013. As in previous cases, Quinto had successfully built a network of allies that facilitated the dissemination of his complaints to the media in Peru, the U.S., the U.K., and Europe. Moreover, he had precautionary measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Peruvian government.
Just a few weeks prior, he had accomplished a formidable feat: mobilizing the public prosecutor’s office, in collaboration with forestry control agencies, to visit his community. This effort aimed to document the deforestation caused by drug trafficking in their forests. Despite these proactive measures, Quinto, like so many others before him, was let down by all institutions, both Peruvian and foreign.
In collaboration with AISESEP and its most affected federations (ORAU and CODEPISAM), as well as Amnesty International, Forest Peoples Programme, Rainforest U.S., and other allies, we have issued a call to the government and international cooperation. The purpose of this call is to implement and support nine emergency measures aimed at preventing further murders and combating impunity.
Immediate action is imperative. During the same week in which Quinto Inuma was tragically murdered, we verified that the threat level against Indigenous defenders has escalated to a point where we, along with other allies on the ground, have had to provide security measures. This includes relocating threatened defenders from their communities, specifically due to advancements made in cases such as Saweto and others.
We remain committed to exerting pressure, as requested by our partners at AIDESEP and its federations. This week, the world must respond to the plea of those risking their lives in these territories, as well as the millions of activists worldwide advocating for climate action that transcends rhetoric and transforms into concrete measures. The proposals are on the table, awaiting a response.
