Photo: AIDESEP
The Peruvian Amazon is experiencing one of the deepest expressions of state neglect in the region. This situation severely undermines access to fundamental rights such as health care, education, and participation in elections—a basic right essential to the exercise of free citizenship in any nation.
Unfortunately, despite the efforts of Indigenous peoples themselves to ensure a state presence in electoral processes, the government remains weak in its response to building the bridges needed to guarantee the right to vote in the most remote territories. In this context, the statements made by Wilber Medina, spokesperson for the political party *Renovación Popular*, are particularly concerning, as they seek to prosecute, delegitimize, and associate Indigenous organizational work with alleged wrongdoing.
The Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP) has nearly 46 years of experience in Indigenous governance in the Peruvian Amazon, representing 2,439 Indigenous communities through coordinated and direct work carried out by its nine regional organizations. Given such broad and legitimate representation, it is deeply troubling that attempts are being made to link the organization to illegal acts within the electoral process, while also using its image to spread misinformation and politically instrumentalize Indigenous peoples for the benefit of certain actors.
For this reason, our alliance stands in support of AIDESEP’s work and longstanding trajectory. As the most representative member organization of ACSA in Peru, we call on the Ombudsman’s Office (*Defensoría del Pueblo*), the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Justice to adopt the necessary protective measures in response to these events.
The criminalization of Indigenous peoples and organizations must not be tolerated. What is needed is progress toward the recognition and protection of rights for a population that has historically been marginalized—not the promotion of yet another episode of revictimization, as is now being attempted.