After eleven years of struggle, a historic victory for Indigenous justice has finally been secured. On August 25, 2025, the Superior Court of Ucayali upheld the convictions of illegal loggers Hugo Soria Flores, José Estrada Huayta, and brothers Segundo and Josimar Atachi Félix, confirming sentences of 28 years and 3 months in prison for the brutal murder of Ashéninka leaders Edwin Chota Valera, Jorge Ríos Pérez, Leoncio Quintisima Meléndez, and Francisco Pinedo Ramírez from the Indigenous community of Alto Tamaya-Saweto (Ucayali, Peru).
The killings, carried out by illegal loggers, took place on September 1, 2014, in the community of Saweto, home to the Ashéninka peoples and located in the Peruvian Amazon along the Alto Tamaya River, near the border with Brazil. This ruling, while still subject to potential Supreme Court review, marks a crucial step in the over decade-long fight for justice. The court also doubled compensation for the victims’ families to 100,000 soles each, 400,000 soles in total.
The road to justice was long: charges were filed in 2019, the first convictions came in 2023, and after an annulment and retrial, the sentences were reinstated in 2024. The appeals process began in April of this year, as the defense sought to overturn the original verdict, while prosecutors pushed for harsher penalties and the families’ legal team demanded stronger reparations. The appellate ruling represents a historic step against impunity, one that the widows and relatives have tirelessly pursued since the murders of their loved ones. It reaffirms not only the gravity of the crime but also the importance of the original conviction, which marked the first major ruling in Peru holding perpetrators accountable for the murder of Indigenous leaders.
After eleven years of pain and waiting, today we feel that progress has been made toward justice. Now we hope the convicted men will serve their sentences.
– Ergilia Rengifo López, widow of Jorge Ríos
A Rare Legal Victory
The confirmation of the sentences marks a rare legal victory for crimes committed against Indigenous peoples in the Amazon and for the Indigenous movement at large. For the lawyers representing the families and the leaders of Indigenous organizations, this precedent is invaluable amid more than 30 unresolved cases of murdered defenders in recent years.
“With this ruling, the court confirms the responsibility of those who killed Indigenous leaders for defending their forests and environment. It sets a precedent for other cases of murdered defenders and sends a message of resistance and hope against impunity,” said Rocío Trujillo Solís, lawyer for Edwin Chota.
This ruling marks the path for other cases of Indigenous brothers who have been murdered for defending their territories. More than 35 defenders have lost their lives. From AIDESEP, we will continue to accompany these processes to achieve justice.
– Miguel Guimaraes, vice president of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP)
Since the beginning, Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) has walked alongside the widows and families of Saweto in their long fight for justice. RFUS helped secure legal representation whose work was instrumental in achieving this verdict. Beyond the courtroom, RFUS partnered with Indigenous and human rights organizations to support advocacy and communications efforts, ensuring that Saweto’s struggle was never forgotten.
“This ruling is the result of years of courage and persistence by these women and their families. At Rainforest Foundation US, we feel deeply honored to have accompanied them in their pursuit of justice”, said Kim Chaix, Director of External Relations & Partnerships at RFUS.
A Long and Painful Struggle
On September 1, 2014, Ashéninka leaders Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos, Leoncio Quintisima, and Francisco Pinedo were ambushed and killed near the Peru-Brazil border while traveling to a meeting against illegal logging. For years, Chota had denounced timber traffickers and campaigned for the legal recognition of Saweto’s ancestral land—over 192,743 acres of forest. His efforts brought repeated death threats, but it also galvanized his community to persist in their fight to protect their territory.
In April 2015, seven months after their murders, the Peruvian government finally granted Saweto its land title, following years of bureaucratic delay. It was a long-overdue and bittersweet victory, a legal recognition earned at the highest cost. That land title remains a lifeline for the community’s future and a powerful legacy of the leaders who gave their lives to secure it.
Yet, the fight is not over. One of the convicted loggers remains at large, and despite the land title, Saweto continues to face illegal invasions. Due to ongoing risks, three of the four widows still cannot return home.
