Comunicado de Prensa – Perú: Hay que poner fin a la criminalización de los defensores de derechos humanos medioambientales

This is a tabbed section of 3 tabs with each tab content area containing the same text but translated to a different language

Press Release – Peru: Criminalisation of environmental human rights defenders must stop says UN expert

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.

Gallegos and Reynoso were sentenced for “hindering public services” and “rioting” in the context of protests against the “Tía María” mining project of the Southern Peru Copper Corporation, in the district of Cocachacra, in Arequipa.

“It is worrying that criminal offences such as extortion, hindering public services and rioting – which carry sentences of more than 10 years in prison – continue to be used to discredit human rights defenders, especially those who oppose large mining projects and their impact on the environment and the rights of affected communities,” said Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

Estrada’s plight had already been noted with concern by the former Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, during his visit to Peru in 2020, in which he highlighted the serious risk suffered by those working in the protection of land, natural resources and the rights of indigenous peoples.

Lawlor said that despite efforts by the Government to protect human rights defenders, threats, attacks and criminalisation continue in the districts of Cajamarca and Cocachacra.

“Peru must redouble its efforts and abide by the recommendations issued for the protection of environmental human rights defenders,” Lawlor said. “Defenders should not face long-term sentences for exercising their right to defend rights and the environment.”

The expert is in contact with Peruvian authorities on the matter.

The expert’s call was endorsed by: Mr. Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, Special Rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and associationand the UN Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (known as the Working Group on Business and Human Rights): Mr. Dante Pesce (Chairperson), Mr. Surya Deva (Vice-Chairperson), Ms. Elżbieta Karska, Mr. Githu Muigai, and Ms. Anita Ramasastry.

ENDS

联合国人权专家呼吁秘鲁必须停止对环境人权捍卫者的刑事定罪

联合国人权维护者状况特别报告员玛丽·劳勒(Mary Lawlor)今天敦促秘鲁政府结束对环境人权捍卫者的刑事定罪,并确保该国的司法机构不会被用作压制他们的手段。

秘鲁最高法院最近确认了对埃斯特拉达(César Estrada Chuquilín)的10年监禁判决。另外两名人权维护者加列戈斯(Jaime Trinidad de la Cruz Gallegos)和雷诺索(Jesús Mariano Cornejo Reynoso)也分别被判处12年和7年以上的监禁。

埃斯特拉达是一名记者和人权维护者,他曾谴责秘鲁亚纳科查矿业公司(Yanacocha S.R.L)公司拥有的名为康加(Conga)的露天金矿和铜矿造成的强行驱逐、骚扰和破坏环境行为,他被指称敲诈该矿业公司的一名承包商而被判刑,其上诉被驳回。

加列戈斯和雷诺索因“妨碍公共服务”和因抗议秘鲁南方铜业公司在该国南部阿雷基帕(Cocachacra)区建立的提亚-玛利亚(Tía María)采矿项目 而“制造骚乱”而被判刑。

劳勒表示,令人担忧的是,敲诈勒索、妨碍公共服务和骚乱等刑事犯罪可判处10年以上的监禁。这些手段继续被用来诋毁人权维护者,特别是那些反对大型采矿项目及其对环境和受影响社区权利造成影响的人。

前任人权维护者状况特别报告员福斯特(Michel Forst)在2020年访问秘鲁时已经关切地注意到埃斯特拉达的困境,他在访问中强调了从事土地、自然资源和土著人民权利保护工作的人所遭受的严重风险。

劳勒指出,尽管政府努力保护人权捍卫者,但在卡哈马卡(Cajamarca)和科卡查克拉(Cocachacra)地区,威胁、袭击和刑事定罪的情况仍在继续。

她强调,秘鲁必须加倍努力,遵守为保护环境人权维护者而提出的建议。这些人权维护者不应该因为行使维护权利和保护环境的权利而遭受长期刑罚。

特别报告员人权理事会特别程序的一部分。特别程序是联合国人权系统中最大的独立专家机构,是人权理事会为解决世界各地具体国家情况或专题问题而设立的独立实况调查和监测机制的总称。特别程序专家在自愿的基础上工作。他们不是联合国工作人员,工作没有报酬。他们独立于任何政府和组织,以个人身份行事。

Actions

Submit Information

Submit confidential information on a HRD at risk

Communications and Press Releases

How do communications and press releases work?

Contact Mary

Request a meeting with Mary or her team