For the Protection of Forests and Human Rights in the Peruvian Amazon: In Rejection of Abuse, Deforestation, and Corporate Impunity

Originally published on us.eia.org

Last week, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) published the statement below signed by 47 organisations and 109 citizens in solidarity with the Indigenous leaders and organisations which have been targeted as part of a smear campaign in Peru in recent weeks. 

The indigenous and civil society organizatons and citizens who sign this statement want to express our support for indigenous leaders, environmental defenders, representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who have been defamed through slander and libel, by television and print media and through social networks, for having investigated or questioned companies that have deforested illegally and in violation of the rights of indigenous peoples to install agro-industrial plantations and continue to operate with impunity without complying with Peruvian laws. These same media deny the high levels of risk and threats faced by Environmental Defenders, accusing NGOs and indigenous organizations of generating false alerts, despite the fact that in recent years more than 30 Environmental Defenders have been killed in Peru for defending forests and indigenous territories. 

Read the statement in English and Spanish

Abundant investigations and statements made over more than a decade by various national and international civil society organizations, by indigenous and indigenous rights organizations, by national and international media, by industry associations, by multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and the OAS, by State entities such as the Comptroller General of the Republic, the National Prosecutor’s Office and Peru’s forest national authority Serfor, among others, have discovered, proved, denounced and verified multiple violations of national laws, the rights of indigenous peoples and international norms and conventions committed by certain companies in the agribusiness sector in Peru, including the businesses currently managed by the companies known as Tamshi SAC and OchoSur, which, in the beginning, were linked to what was known as the Melka Group.

Among the most convincing official documents of the Peruvian government in this regard are the various audits carried out by the Comptroller General of the Republic against State officials who, without respecting the rules, favored the companies Tamshi SAC, OchoSur P and OchoSur U, or the public communications and before the London Stock Exchange by Serfor, warning about the illegalities committed by the companies that started these plantations and that -as the Comptroller General points out- are still dragging on until today. All these reports from the Comptroller's Office conclude that the officials involved committed irregularities, since none of these companies have complied with the norms and specify that they cannot "regularize" or legalize their activities since Peruvian laws do not allow such actions once deforestation has taken place without prior Environmental Certification.

Although the disastrous amendment to the Peruvian Forestry Law approved in December 2023 by Congress, known as the "Anti-Forestry Law", opens a door of impunity for historic illegal deforestation in Peru, and appears to be aimed at benefitting agro-industrial companies that have deforested illegally, this law still does not solve one of the main problems of the companies in question: that they do not have Environmental Certification, an essential document to operate legally in Peru.

Freedom of the press is one of the basic elements for the proper functioning of democracy. We call on the media to fulfill their function of investigating and informing, respecting the truth, ethical principles and the law.

SIGNED BY:

Indigenous Organizations

1.  Asociación De Mujeres Indígenas Artesanas Sinhi Warmikuna

2. Asociación Interétnica De Desarrollo De La Selva Peruana – AIDESEP

3. BMCA (Benet Mosop Indigenous Community Association)

4. Federacion De Comunidades Nativas De La Provincia De Purus

5. Federación De Comunidades Nativas De Ucayali Y Afluentes – FECONAU

6. Federación De Pueblos Indígenas Kechwa Chazuta Amazonía – FEPIKECHA

7. Frente de Defensa de los Derechos e Intereses de la comunidad de Santa Clara de Uchunya

8. Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Chapra – GTANCH

9. Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nacion Wampis – GTANW

Civil Society Organizations

1. Africa Child Care Nation (ACCN)

2. Amazon Watch

3. Asesores Estratégicos SAC

4. Asociación De Desarrollo Solidario "Yachay Wasi De Tablada"

5. Asociación Escuela De Artes Y Culturas Amazónicas - AEACA

6. Asociación Fe Y Derechos Humanos FEDERH

7. Asociación Marianista De Acción Social - AMAS Marianistas 

8. Asociación Para La Resiliencia Del Bosque - ARBIO

9. Asociación Propurus

10. Asociación Proyecto Amigo

11. Centro Bartolomé De Las Casas

12. Centro De Políticas Públicas Y Derechos Humanos - Perú Equidad

13. Codeh PUCALLPA 

14. Comisión Episcopal De Acción Social – CEAS

15. Comité De Defensa Del Agua Iquitos 16 Comité De Derechos Humanos Ilo

16. Comunidad Santo Espíritu CSE

17. Coordinadora Nacional De Derechos Humanos

18. Demus Estudio Para La Defensa De Los Derechos De La Mujer

19. Derechos Humanos Sin Fronteras

20. Environmental Investigation Agency - EIA

21. Federación Organismos Cristianos Servicio Internacional Voluntario - FOCSIV – Perú

22. Forest Peoples Programme (FPP)

23. Formabiap

24. Frente Unitario de Desarrollo y los Intereses del Callao FRUDICA

25. Fundación Ecuménica Para El Desarrollo Y La Paz - FEDEPAZ

26. Fundación para la Conservación y Desarrollo Sostenible FCDS Perú

27. Ids Prospectiva Amazónica

28. Iniciativa Interreligiosa Para Los Bosques Tropicales IRI Perú

29. Instituto De Promoción Y Educación Popular-Comisión De Justicia Social IPEP CJS Chimbote

30. Kené Instituto de Estudios Forestales y Ambientales

31. Laudato Si Huaycán - LSH

32. Lawyers’ Association For Human Rights Of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP)

33. Medicos Veterinarios Por Una Salud Perú MVUNASALUDPE

34. Mesa De Concertación P

35. ]ara La Lucha Contra La Pobreza De Loreto

36. Mujeres Lideres En Servicio - MLS

37. Nodo Perú - Red Iglesias Y Minería

38. Ong Costa Verde Iniciativa 20x20

39. Oxfam

40. Pachamama Alliance Perú

41. Red Agua Desarrollo Y Democracia -REDAD

42. Red De Voluntariado Juvenil Huanuco

43. Red Descolonialidad Y Autogobierno

44. Red Pastoral Pueblos Indígenas Y Ecología Integral

45. Servicios En Comunicación Intercultural Servindi

46. Sociedad Zoológica de Frankfurt - FZS Perú

47. The Marginalised Mirror

Individuals

1 Ada Castillo Ordinola

2 Ada Rocio Ramos Castro

3 Adán Junior Cassia Córdova

4 Adelaida Alayza Sueiro

5 Alberto Chirif

6 Alberto Ñiquen

7 Alfredo Emilio Gaviria Guedes

8 Alicia Matta Gonzales

9 Ana Isla

10 Ana Ramos Mejía

11 Angela Mera

12 Anna Zucchetti

13 Aramís Castro

14 Augusto Arrasco

15 Belmer Holinder Cornejo Limas

16 Bianca Sofía Alva Ciudad

17 Bryan Estéfano Cruz Sánchez

18 Carla Loayza Alvarez

19 Carlos Hoyos – Miembro de la Comunidad Santa Clara De Uchunya

20 Carmen Rosa Arèvalo Salas

21 Carmen Vértiz Pardo Figueroa

22 César A. Ipenza

23 Claudina Lourdes Vela Hidalgo

24 Daniel Mauri Trezzi

25 Daniel Vásquez Vela

26 Danilo Quijano Silva

27 Dave Gregory Pogois Loayza

28 Eduardo Salas Arce

29 Elba Tatiana Espinosa Quiñones

30 Fabiola Riva Melofiro

31 Factor Eufemio Gonzalez Juárez

32 Federico Buanerghes Contreras Espinoza

33 Fernando Montalvan

34 Fernando Suárez Carrasco

35 Fiorenza Fattorini Caminada

36 Frank Rivero Fonseca

37 Fritz Villasante

38 Gabriela Zari López

39 Germán Vargas Farías

40 Gina Taayd Nolorbe Galan

41 Giovanna Meneses Poggi

42 Gladys López

43 Glenda Mendieta Leiva

44 Haidee Flormila Mateo

45 Handsome Alberto Salavarriga Infante

46 Hubert Héctor Sotelo chipana

47 Hugo Cabieses Cubas

48 Isabel Aguilar Murga

49 Iván Brehaut Larrea

50 Ivan Kostenetsky

51 Janet Gaby Inga Guillen

52 Javier Rodolfo Jahncke Benavente

53 Jhomar Wicler Maynas Inuma

54 Jocelyn Ostolaza Beytia

55 Jorge Alvarez Melo

56 Jorge Luis Meléndez Palacios

57 Joseph Zárate

58 Juan Andrés Farroñay Huando

59 Juan Bejarano Aguilar

60 Juan Carlos Rheineck Moreno

61 Julia Isabel Bejarano Aguilar

62 Julia M. Urrunaga

63 Juniors Antonio Juarez Shuan

64 Karen Gianina Lazo Villanueva

65 Karim Jennifer Ledesma Tuesta

66 Liby Giovana Flores Murayari De Chujutalli

67 Lily Amelia Trujillo Tupa De Portugal

68 Linda Carol Vigo Escalante

69 Louis Gregory Tsamach Cabrera

70 Luis Antonio Tavara Martin

71 Lupo Canterac Troya

72 Magaly Ávila

73 Marco Antonio Escobar Sedano

74 María Esperanza Castañeda Pinto

75 Maribel Flora Roca Capcha

76 Marilyn Maysun Solis Cabrera

77 Mario César Rosina Barragán

78 Marisol García Apagüeño

79 Martín Lazo

80 Martin Castro

81 Mayra Alejandra Hinostroza Cute

82 Miguel Mauro Platero Huanca

83 Miguel Santiago Antúnez Correa

84 Mirtha Villanueva Cotrina

85 Nury Garcia

86 Olga Cristina Del Rocío Gavancho León

87 Olga Susana Mamani Calizaya

88 Orieta Carrasco

89 Paola Karina Ferreyros Hernando

90 Paula Rodriguez Chavez

91 Rafael Vela Pinedo

92 Renzo Jesús Anselmo Villanueva

93 Ricardo Hoyos Soria, Secretario de la Jefatura Comunal de Santa Clara de Uchunya

94 Rodrigo Quijano

95 Rodrigo Severo Arce Rojas

96 Rogelia Garcés

97 Roger Samuel Rodríguez García

98 Rossana Violeta Angeles Rodriguez

99 Sandra Sofia Rospigliosi Navarrete

100 Sandro Chavez

101 Sebastian André Oré López

102 Socorro Palomino

103 Stephany Acevedo Baltazar

104 Stephany Violeta Cadenillas Solórzano

105 Tatiana María Valer Arroyo

106 Tulio Antonio Minervo Toche Martínez

107 Walter Albán

108 Yara Margoth Peixoto Nuñez

109 Yuri Hooker Mantilla