Environmental activist killed in Peruvian Amazon amid rising violence
Hipolito Quispehuaman, a member of the Tambopata National Reserve Management Committee, was killed while driving along the Interoceanic Highway on Saturday night.
Local prosecutor Karen Torres stated, 'This is a murder with a firearm of yet another defender of the Madre de Dios region.'
Investigators suspect the attack was retaliation for Quispehuaman's advocacy work.
His brother, Angel Quispehuaman, pleaded for justice, saying, 'This kind of thing cannot happen.'
Peru's National Coordinator for Human Rights (CNDDHH) condemned the killing, urging the government to protect activists.
'Not one more death! Enough with the murders of human rights defenders!' the group posted on X.
The Ministry of Justice vowed to ensure the crime does not go unpunished.
Attacks on environmental activists have surged in Peru's Amazon, where illegal mining and drug trafficking fuel deforestation.
In July 2024, Indigenous activist Mariano Isacama was murdered in Ucayali.
Since 2012, Global Witness reports at least 54 land defenders killed in Peru, over half Indigenous. – AFP
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Environmental activist shot dead in Peruvian Amazon
Attacks against environmental activists have risen in recent years in the Amazonian areas of Peru. (AFP pic) LIMA : An environmental activist campaigning against the destruction of the Amazon was shot and killed in the Peruvian jungle, local authorities said yesterday. Hipolito Quispehuaman was killed Saturday night while driving along a section of the Interoceanic Highway in the southeastern Madre de Dios region, according to the local prosecutor's office. Quispehuaman had served as a member of the Tambopata National Reserve Management Committee. 'This is a murder with a firearm of yet another defender of the Madre de Dios region,' local prosecutor Karen Torres told reporters. Torres added that the preliminary motive being considered by investigators was that the murder was in retaliation for the advocacy work he was doing. 'I demand justice for my brother's death. This kind of thing cannot happen,' the victim's brother, Angel Quispehuaman, told reporters. Peru's national coordinator for human rights (CNDDHH) condemned the murder and demanded 'the Peruvian state take urgent and effective measures to protect the lives and work of (rights) defenders'. 'Not one more death! Enough with the murders of human rights defenders!' the CNDDHH said on X. The ministry of justice pledged 'to work on the legal defence of the victims, so that this crime does not go unpunished', it wrote on X. Attacks against environmental activists have risen in recent years in Amazonian areas of Peru, where the presence of national authorities is scarce. In July 2024, indigenous environmental activist Mariano Isacama was murdered in the Amazon region of Ucayali, located around 497km east of capital Lima. Indigenous people face the growing presence of drug traffickers and illegal mining, which are deforesting the Amazon region. At least 54 land and environmental defenders have been murdered in Peru since 2012, more than half of whom were indigenous people, according to NGO Global Witness.
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Environmental activist killed in Peruvian Amazon amid rising violence
LIMA: An environmental activist fighting to protect the Amazon rainforest was fatally shot in Peru's Madre de Dios region, authorities confirmed. Hipolito Quispehuaman, a member of the Tambopata National Reserve Management Committee, was killed while driving along the Interoceanic Highway on Saturday night. Local prosecutor Karen Torres stated, 'This is a murder with a firearm of yet another defender of the Madre de Dios region.' Investigators suspect the attack was retaliation for Quispehuaman's advocacy work. His brother, Angel Quispehuaman, pleaded for justice, saying, 'This kind of thing cannot happen.' Peru's National Coordinator for Human Rights (CNDDHH) condemned the killing, urging the government to protect activists. 'Not one more death! Enough with the murders of human rights defenders!' the group posted on X. The Ministry of Justice vowed to ensure the crime does not go unpunished. Attacks on environmental activists have surged in Peru's Amazon, where illegal mining and drug trafficking fuel deforestation. In July 2024, Indigenous activist Mariano Isacama was murdered in Ucayali. Since 2012, Global Witness reports at least 54 land defenders killed in Peru, over half Indigenous. – AFP
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