GENEVA (18 May 2021) – A UN expert today urged the Government of Peru to end the criminalisation of environmental human rights defenders and ensure the country s judiciary is not used as a means to silence them.
The Supreme Court of Peru recently confirmed the judgement against César Estrada Chuquilín (10 years imprisonment). Two human rights defenders were also sentenced to prison, Jaime Trinidad de la Cruz Gallegos (12 years and 4 months) and Jesús Mariano Cornejo Reynoso (7 years and 4 months).
Estrada, a journalist and human rights defender, had denounced forced evictions, harassment of people and environmental damage caused by an open-pit gold and copper mine known as Conga that is owned by Yanacocha S.R.L. He was sentenced for alleged extortion against a contractor of the Yanacocha S.R.L, and his appeal was rejected.