• Urgent Action

Urgent Action Update: Murdered Defender’s Family Still in Danger (Peru: UA 144.20)

November 29, 2020

The family of murdered defender Roberto Carlos Pacheco remain at risk after insufficient protection from authorities. On 3 October, the Police detained three of the five persons allegedly responsible for the killing, shortly after the judge ordered their release pending trial and postponed the hearing to determine their pre-trial detention. The suspects didn’t appear at their 12 October hearing and have not been located since. We call on the Public Prosecutor to investigate this murder, bring both the intellectual and material suspects to justice, and provide comprehensive and sustainable protection to the Pacheco family.

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  1. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Zoraida Ávalos Rivera Public Prosecutor Fiscalía de la Nación-Ministerio Público Av. Abancay 5, Cercado de Lima, 15001, Lima, Perú Email: [email protected] Twitter: @FiscaliaPeru
Ambassador Hugo de Zela Embassy of Peru 1700 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC 20036 Phone: 202 833 9860 I Fax: 202 659 8124 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @PeruInTheUSA Instagram: @peruintheusa Contact Form: https://bit.ly/2IoKk6P Salutation: Dear Ambassador

SAMPLE LETTER Dear Public Prosecutor, I write to you about the murder of the environmental human rights defender Roberto Carlos Pacheco. On 10 September 2020, unknown attackers shot him dead. Since 2012, he had received a series of death threats linked to his activism against illegal mining in the Tambopata Reserve, in the Peruvian Amazon’s Madre de Dios region. These death threats were denounced before the authorities but were not adequately investigated and efficient protection was not granted to him. Since Roberto Carlos’ murder, his family have reported that they are in danger after receiving insufficient protection measures from authorities. They are particularly concerned about Demetrio Pacheco, his father and Vice President of the Tambopata Reserve Management Committee. I call on you to thoroughly, independently and impartially investigate the killing of Roberto Carlos in line with human rights standards, including the possible relation to Roberto’s and Demetrio’s human rights work; to bring those suspected of both intellectual and material criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials; and to provide comprehensive and sustainable protection to the Pacheco family as victims and human rights defenders, in consultation with them and according to their wishes. Yours sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES