Police in Peru met with the widows of four indigenous leaders who were murdered after years of fighting illegal logging in their remote Amazon rainforest homeland.  Tribal authorities say they suspect illegal tree poachers murdered the men.

On 1 September, the four had left their home to hike for several hours and visit another tribal community on the Brazilian side of the border, but they never reached their destination.  A party that had gone on ahead then had to backtrack, and found the bodies at about a six hours walk from the village.  They had been killed by shotgun – and other than the vultures that had already scavenged the scene, there were no witnesses.

Slain Ashaninka community leader Edwin Chota had fought the good fight for years, demanding the government provide clear titles to the land where prized hardwoods like mahogany and cedar are found.  Just one old-growth mahogany tree can fetch more than $11,000 on the US lumber market.  And because of that potential windfall, the kind of person who will do anything for money shows up for the trees.

“We’ll see what we can do to change this horrible tragedy into hopefully a small victory for indigenous rights and environmental justice,” said Professor David Salisbury of the University of Richmond, and friend and advisor to Chota on the Title quest.

The Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest condemned police and the judiciary for “doing absolutely nothing despite repeated complaints” to protect the slain men.  The group says Chota and the others have joined “the long list of martyrs who fell in defense of their ancestral lands.”

Peru is arranging for the bodies to be brought out of the rainforest via helicopter for further investigation.  And police will be stationed in the remote area.  Prior to this, the nearest cop was usually found days away.