On the 17th of June 2021, 80 human rights organisation wrote a letter to the Peruvian state to urge the implementation of concrete measures for the protection of indigenous human rights defenders. In their letter, they state that “in this same period of the emergence of public policies on human rights defenders, violence and assassinations against indigenous leaders have increased in the Peruvian Amazon, where there is still a dramatic situation of helplessness, especially for indigenous peoples and local communities who defend the environment and their human rights because they are unable to act in a safe and enabling environment.”

In the letter, it is stated that current policies do not suffice for the effective protection of human rights defenders. The letter lists steps that should be taken by national authorities in order to reach this goal and protect the lives of those fighting for human rights in Peru.

Find the original letter here in Spanish (Cooperacción Perú).