Inter-American Court hears claims that Peru failed to protect uncontacted Indigenous groups in the Amazon

# What the hearing is about A public hearing before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Sept. 24–25 in Montevideo examined claims that the Peruvian state violated the rights of the Mashco Piro, Yora and Amahuaca peoples. These Indigenous groups live in ancestral territory in the Amazon and include people in isolation and initial contact.

# The complaint and how it reached the court Peru was responsible for violations. In November 2024 the commission referred the case to the human rights court. The commission's referral says Peru failed to take specific protective steps required under national law for peoples in isolation.

# Specific shortcomings the commission identified The commission identified several concrete failures by the Peruvian state:

• It did not expand the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve despite evidence that peoples in isolation are present there.
• It did not recognize collective territories with legal titles or establish buffer zones around the areas where these Indigenous groups live.
• It did not adequately address documented incursions such as logging, mining, roadbuilding, oil exploration and drug trafficking.

The commission asked the court to order Peru to demarcate Mashco Piro, Yora and Amahuaca territory and establish buffer zones. It also urged that the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve be categorized as an Indigenous reserve to provide stronger legal protection.

# Peru's response summarized In its submission to the commission, the Peruvian state said it had adopted laws and regulations to protect peoples in isolation and was making ongoing adjustments to protected areas. The state also said it is improving monitoring and early-warning systems for threats against these communities.

# What the court can do Rights has the authority to order states to correct actions that violate rights. After the public hearing, parties submitted written arguments (due by Oct. 26). The court has not set a deadline to issue its decision.

# Why this case matters regionally The organizations representing the communities — the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries and EarthRights International — framed the case as having broader consequences across Latin America, saying the court's decision could set a legal and political precedent for Indigenous peoples of the Amazon.

# Documented pressures on the territory The commission's referral lists concrete activities pressuring the territory: illegal and legal logging, mining (including artisanal operations), road construction, oil exploration and drug trafficking. Those pressures increase the risks of violent contact and disease exposure for peoples in isolation.

# Next steps and timeline Written arguments were due by Oct. 26 following the hearing. The court's timetable for a ruling is open. If the court finds violations, it can order remedial measures such as demarcation of territory, establishment of buffer zones, strengthened enforcement against illegal activity, and reclassification of protected areas.

# Short practical takeaway This case tests whether regional human-rights mechanisms can compel a state to take concrete territorial and enforcement actions to protect Indigenous peoples living in isolation, particularly inside contested protected areas like Madre de Dios.