Peru is currently under scrutiny at a regional human rights court over allegations that it has failed to protect isolated Indigenous communities in the Amazon from threats like logging and other incursions. The two-day hearing at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Montevideo, Uruguay, is historic, as it is the first time the court has addressed a case involving Indigenous peoples in Peru who live in isolation. The case focuses on the Mashco Piro, Yora, and Amahuaca peoples, who reside in remote parts of the Peruvian Amazon. These communities have minimal contact with the outside world and are at high risk from diseases and violence caused by outsiders entering their territory. Indigenous organizations argue that logging and other activities have forced outsiders deeper into the forests where these groups live, increasing the risk of violent encounters and the spread of diseases to which the isolated peoples have little immunity. Maglin Alvarado Vargas, a leader from the Yine Indigenous people, told the court, “Many of our brothers and sisters have already disappeared, and we don’t want the Mashco Piro to suffer the same fate. It is in your hands whether they can survive.” While Peru claims it has implemented laws, protocols, and monitoring systems to protect these groups, activists say these measures are not being enforced in practice. The case has a long history, dating back to the 1990s when FENAMAD, an Indigenous organization, raised concerns about logging in the Mashco Piro’s territory. In 2005, they sought emergency protection from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which granted protective measures in 2007. A formal petition was filed in 2011, and in 2022, the commission found Peru responsible for violating the rights of the Mashco Piro, Yora, and Amahuaca. The case was forwarded to the court in 2024 after Peru failed to comply with the commission’s recommendations. The central issue is whether extractive industries, such as logging, can be allowed in the territories of isolated Indigenous peoples. Peru’s laws generally prohibit outside activity in areas designated for these groups, but exceptions exist if authorities determine there is a “public necessity.” A lawyer representing the Indigenous side said Peru has “flagrantly violated” principles meant to protect these communities, including keeping their territories free from outside activity. The Mashco Piro, who number over 750 people, live in southeastern Peru and parts of Brazil. Recent encounters with outsiders have been deadly, with two loggers killed in 2024 after entering their territory. The court will now hear final arguments by October 26 before issuing a ruling, though the date for the judgment has not yet been set.