After 11 years, the Alto Tamaya Saweto community has finally received confirmation of convictions in the 2014 murders of Indigenous Ashéninka leaders Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos, Leoncio Quintanísima and Francisco Pinedo. The killings occurred along the Peru-Brazil border, where the leaders had been actively campaigning against illegal logging in their territory since 2008. On Aug. 25, the appeals chamber of the Superior Court of Ucayali, the department where the killings occurred, ratified the ruling of the first trial, which sentenced timber contractors José Estrada and Hugo Soria, as well as two timber workers, brothers Josimar and Segundo Atachi, to 28 years and three months of prison. “This is a historic ruling for Peru because it’s the first time the judiciary has recognized the work of Indigenous peoples in the defense of human rights and their relationship with nature,” Maritza Quispe, a constitutional lawyer of the Legal Defense Institute (IDL), told Mongabay Latam. Edwin Chota had led the committee of Ashéninka leaders who were going to Brazil to organize the defense of the Saweto forest. He was killed during the journey. Image courtesy of Anouk García. The loggers did not attend the sentencing hearing, which lasted approximately eight hours; therefore, the judiciary issued an immediate arrest warrant. “We ask the police to arrest those sentenced. If they are not in prison, there is no justice,” said Ergilia Rengifo, Ríos’ widow, after learning of the decision of the bench composed of senior judges Robin Barreda, Jonatan Basagoitia, and Marco Santa Cruz. A…This article was originally published on Mongabay

After 11 years, the Alto Tamaya Saweto community has finally received confirmation of convictions in the 2014 murders of Indigenous Ashéninka leaders Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos, Leoncio Quintanísima and Francisco Pinedo. The killings occurred along the Peru-Brazil border, where the leaders had been actively campaigning against illegal logging in their territory since 2008. On Aug. 25, the appeals chamber of the Superior Court of Ucayali, the department where the killings occurred, ratified the ruling of the first trial, which sentenced timber contractors José Estrada and Hugo Soria, as well as two timber workers, brothers Josimar and Segundo Atachi, to 28 years and three months of prison. “This is a historic ruling for Peru because it’s the first time the judiciary has recognized the work of Indigenous peoples in the defense of human rights and their relationship with nature,” Maritza Quispe, a constitutional lawyer of the Legal Defense Institute (IDL), told Mongabay Latam. Edwin Chota had led the committee of Ashéninka leaders who were going to Brazil to organize the defense of the Saweto forest. He was killed during the journey. Image courtesy of Anouk García. The loggers did not attend the sentencing hearing, which lasted approximately eight hours; therefore, the judiciary issued an immediate arrest warrant. “We ask the police to arrest those sentenced. If they are not in prison, there is no justice,” said Ergilia Rengifo, Ríos’ widow, after learning of the decision of the bench composed of senior judges Robin Barreda, Jonatan Basagoitia, and Marco Santa Cruz. A…This article was originally published on Mongabay

A new report traces the life cycle of fossil fuels — from exploration and extraction to combustion and decommissioning — and found stark consequences at each stage for the health of people and the planet alike. “By examining fossil fuels’ health hazards across their entire life cycle, this report makes an important addition to our current understanding of fossil fuels’ health impacts,” Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician and epidemiologist at Boston College, U.S., not involved with the study, told Mongabay in an email. The report, published by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, compiles roughly 650 studies, 20 personal testimonials and more than a dozen case studies to create a picture of the environmental and health consequences of fossil fuels. The researchers first outline the human health harms associated with 20 pollutants commonly used in fossil fuels. They note, for example, that benzene, used in fossil fuel extraction and refining, is linked to cancer, including childhood cancer, and compromised immune functioning. Fine particulate matter PM2.5, commonly found in combusted fossil fuels, is associated with preterm birth, premature death, respiratory illness and certain cancers. Similarly, arsenic, released during coal mining, burning and found in oil and gas wastewater, is linked to various cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cognitive impairment. A developing fetus in utero and children are among the most vulnerable to fossil fuels, the report finds. Prenatal exposure to coal mining, for example, is associated with low birth weight and premature births. Children who live near fossil fuel facilities are at heightened risks…This article was originally published on Mongabay