Quinto Inuma case: Family and community of Indigenous defender succeed in getting Superior Court judges to attend trial in Tarapoto, Peru

The tireless struggle of the Inuma family and the community of Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu for justice in the face of the murder of apu Quinto Inuma Alvarado has resulted in judges from the National Superior Court of Specialised Criminal Justice travelling to the city of Tarapoto, Peru to conduct the trial in person.

On Tuesday, 10 March 2026, in Tarapoto, the Third National Criminal Court of the National Superior Court of Specialised Criminal Justice began in-person witness hearings in the trial for the murder of apu Quinto Inuma, which occurred on 29 November 2023. 

At the request of Quinto's family and community, who are seeking to guarantee access to justice through an intercultural approach and conveyed through the technical defence of the aggrieved parties, the judges travelled from Lima to Tarapoto. This is the first time such a measure has been taken in a judicial process linked to the murder of an Indigenous defender, and is the first time that magistrates from a court based in Lima have travelled to the San Martín region for a case involving Indigenous peoples.

The Third National Criminal Court in Tarapoto will receive testimony from family members and community members, following a formal request from the family of apu Quinto Inuma on 12 January 2026, with a view to bringing justice closer. In order to participate in these hearings, the family and community members have travelled a whole day from their community, located in a remote area of the San Martín region. 

These hearings are part of the continuation of the trial that began in January of this year. Until now, the sessions had been held virtually. As of today, however, they are being held in person at the Superior Court of Justice in Tarapoto in order to guarantee access to justice through an intercultural approach for those who face barriers to participating in virtual hearings from their community.

It is very important to us that the judges are here in Tarapoto. We want this trial for my brother's death to be successful. What we want and demand is justice, that two of the accused be given life imprisonment. We know the reality of what we have experienced with apu Quinto Inuma. As his brother, I demand justice," said Manuel Inuma Alvarado, brother of Quinto Inuma and current head of the Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu community. 

Quinto Inuma was murdered while returning to his community for his work in defending Indigenous land rights and the environment. In the attack, shots were fired at his boat, also wounding community member Axeldina Barbarán.

To date, Quinto Inuma's eldest son and experts from the Peruvian National Police (PNP) have already given their statements in virtual sessions. For the in-person sessions, in addition to the judges, members of the Third Specialised Prosecutor's Office against Organised Crime (FECOR) of the Public Prosecutor's Office travelled to Tarapoto, including prosecutors Juan Alberto Orihuela Legonia, Paloma María Andaluz Queirolo and Gabriela Roxana Peña Calderón, who are in charge of the case.

We will not remain silent. We will continue until the end. Quinto Inuma left a legacy for the causes he defended. He was a brave man, a warrior," says his brother Manuel Inuma.

With the crime committed against him, apu Quinto Inuma became the first Indigenous defender in the country to be murdered despite having protection measures for human rights defenders offered by the state. For this reason, this case is emblematic of the violence suffered by Indigenous defenders in the Amazon in defending their territories.

Currently, in a context of impunity for the murders of Indigenous defenders, the Public Prosecutor's Office has successfully identified the perpetrators of the crime against Quinto Inuma, who now face criminal charges for offences such as contract killing, attempted murder and personal concealment, to varying degrees of involvement. Most of them are serving preventive detention sentences in prisons. 

The national and international community remains vigilant, hoping that the statements of eyewitnesses to the murder will be well received by the court and that progress will be made in providing access to justice for the Inuma family and their community. It would also represent progress toward national accountability for the violence, threats, and murders of Indigenous defenders.