Peru faces human rights court over Amazon Indigenous protections

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is conducting a landmark hearing in Montevideo, Uruguay, to determine if the Peruvian state violated the rights of the Mashco Piro, Yora, and Amahuaca Indigenous peoples. These groups live in isolation or in initial contact within the Amazon Rainforest.

Representing the communities, the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries (FENAMAD) and EarthRights International allege that Peru failed to protect ancestral territories from extractive industries. Documented threats include logging, mining, road construction, oil exploration, and drug trafficking. Indigenous leaders warned the court that incursions increase the risk of violent encounters and exposure to diseases to which isolated groups may lack immunity.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights previously found Peru responsible for failing to expand the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve and failing to recognize collective territories or define buffer zones. While Peru argues it has implemented laws and monitoring systems to protect these groups, advocates claim these protections are not being enforced in practice, threatening the very survival of the isolated populations.