Men charged with contract killing of Indigenous leader to go on trial in Peru

Prosecution over death of Quinto Inuma Alvarado seen as test of ability to curb attacks on environmental defenders

Five men are due to go on trial on Tuesday over the killing of an Amazonian Indigenous leader, in a legal case that 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.

The Kichwa tribal leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado was killed on 29 November 2023, after repeatedly denouncing illegal activity within his community's territory.