Five suspects to face trial over the killing of Kichwa leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado

Peru case could mark a rare break from impunity in attacks on Indigenous environmental defenders.

The trial is due to start on Tuesday, 20 January 2026 for five men over the killing of Kichwa Indigenous environmental defender Quinto Inuma Alvarado, in a rare legal case that prosecutors and advocates say could test whether Peru can hold perpetrators accountable for violence linked to illegal logging and drug trafficking in one of the world's most dangerous regions for environmental defenders.

Quinto Inuma, 50, a much admired and prominent Kichwa leader of the Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu community, in the San Martin region of the northern Peruvian Amazon, was killed on November 29, 2023, after repeatedly denouncing illegal activity within his community's territory. Prosecutors are seeking life sentences under charges of contract killing, a first in a case involving the murder of an Indigenous environmental defender in Peru.

The trial is being closely watched by Indigenous groups, environmental advocates, and international observers as a test of whether Peru can curb violence tied to illegal deforestation and drug trafficking in the Amazon, where community leaders who defend forests and land rights often face threats with little protection and few cases ever reaching court.

More here: AP.org.

Please note: This update contains extracts from an article published by The Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday, 19th January 2026.