Ronald Bello Abarca
Ronald Bello Abarca is a farmer and Quechua-speaking human rights defender from Mara, Tambobamba, Apurímac. He served as President of the Defence Front of the Tambobamba district during the 2015 protests facing the impact of the activities of the Las Bambas mine, advocating for the communities impacted by the lack of transparency and prior consultation before mining activities commenced in his province.
Due to his leadership and human rights work, he was subjected to persecution and criminalisation, and was unjustly sentenced to nine years in prison. The Court also ordered him, along with a group of other criminalised defenders, to pay a civil reparation fine which collectively amounted to 50,000 Peruvian sol for the State and 88,600 U.S. dollars for the Las Bambas mining company.
While many human rights defenders (HRDs) can operate freely in Peru, those working on the environment, in particular on the environmental and human rights impact of the extractive industry, face harsh repression, including intimidation, smear campaigns, death threats, surveillance, and judicial harassment. Journalists and trade unionists have also been targeted.
