The Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation (GTANCH) denounced attacks and threats against its president, Olivia Bisa Tirko, who had already been recognized by the Public Prosecutor’s Office as an environmental defender at risk due to threats linked to her work.
“From the Chapra Nation, we publicly denounce a new act of violence and intimidation against our president, Olivia Bisa Tirko, and her family, which occurred at approximately 6.00 pm on Sunday, September 5, when she was traveling toward the city of San Lorenzo, in the province of Datem del Marañón, Loreto” (in the Peruvian Amazon jungle), residents stated in an official statement.
The president and environmental defender, Olivia Bisa, was intercepted last Sunday by a mobile unit (motorcycle taxi), forcing her to make an emergency maneuver to avoid falling into a ravine. Subsequently, the leader and her family were intimidated with a firearm, “pointing directly at Olivia’s head. Faced with this situation, members of the community intervened to protect the leader and her family, causing the criminals to flee the area,” they stated.
Urgent: Protection for environmental defenders
Following the attack on the environmental defender, Senator Ruth Luque spoke out, stating that “it is especially serious that, after these events, Olivia did not receive immediate assistance at the San Lorenzo police station (local). A threatened defender cannot go to a police station seeking protection and find herself without a timely response. The Peruvian Police must explain what happened and guarantee immediate action in situations of risk”.
Congresswoman Ruth Luque also demanded that the Ministry of Justice, the National Police and the other competent institutions “urgently activate and strengthen protection measures for Olivia Bisa and her family, as well as investigate the facts, identify those responsible and guarantee that there is no impunity. In territories where illegal economies are advancing, protecting defenders also means restoring the authority of the State. We cannot leave Olivia Bisa or any other woman defender to face these threats alone,” she added.
According to the Ministry of Justice, more than 450 cases of risk and attacks against environmental defenders were recorded in Peru between June 2019 and February 2026, and more than 370 environmentalists and Indigenous leaders have faced judicial criminalization proceedings for defending their territories.
