The Ucayali Superior Court confirmed prison sentences of 28 years and 3 months for logging entrepreneurs Hugo Soria Flores and Jose Estrada Huayta for qualified homicide, as indirect perpetrators, and for brothers Josimar and Segundo Atachi Felix, as co-perpetrators, for the murder of four Ashaninka leaders of the Alto Tamaya Saweto native community.
The victims are Edwin Chota Valera, Francisco Pinedo Ramirez, Jorge Rios Perez, and Leoncio Quintisima Melendez, who had reported death threats for defending Ucayali region's forests.
The convicted, under an immediate arrest order, must pay civil damages of S/400,000 (US$113,700), that is S/100,000 (US$28,425) for each victim affected by the case.
This ruling reaffirms the fight against impunity and marks a crucial step in the pursuit of justice for Indigenous peoples, emphasized the Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle (Aidesep).
Eleven years after the murders in the Alto Tamaya–Saweto Native Community, and following four months of appeal hearings, the Third Superior Criminal Prosecutor's Office of Ucayali succeeded in securing the sentences of more than 28 years against the convicted.
Deputy Superior Prosecutor Jose Maria Carranza de la Rosa presented the arguments during the appeal hearings, stating that the crime of qualified homicide is fully established.
He added that there is sufficient evidence to uphold the criminal responsibility of the convicted.
The Ombudsman's Office, which had requested an exemplary sanction, indicated that it has been monitoring more than 27 homicide cases committed since 2014 against human rights defenders.
It is also demanding greater speed in the investigations to ensure prompt justice.