Brother of Tambopata National Reserve Coordinator Murdered in Peru

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Juan Julio Fernández Hanco of the Tambopata National Reserve has been killed. Caretas Magazine of Peru reported on his death. He was the brother of Germán Fernández Hanco, the coordinator of the management committee of the Reserva Nacional Tambopata and who opposes illegal mining in the region. This is a fatal response to the years of threats Germán Fernández and his family have been facing.

The Centro Amazónico de Antropología y Aplicación Práctica (CAAAP) reported that the incident occurred around midnight on Sunday, March 20, in his home on the border of the reserve, in an area known as “La Pampa” in the Inambari district of the Tambopata province.

Germán reported that two alleged hitmen shot his brother twice in the head. He elaborated on how grave the problem of illegal mining has become, noting, “As long as [there is] illegal mining [here], there will be deaths every day. This place should be declared an emergency. Every day people die here.”

Even two weeks prior to this event, Germán’s sister was kidnapped at the family farm. Years before, his uncle was murdered… “Here they kill freely, but the justice system says nothing,” expressed Germán.

This seems to be “another example of the indifference” of the Peruvian justice system. The President of the Tambopata National Reserve Management Committee, Víctor Zambrano, said, “Here, in Peru, we never find justice. We must look to international [assistance].”