A report presented in Quito outlines the findings of a study by the organization Amazon Frontlines, which monitored 39 cases between July 2024 and May 2026.

Of these, 25 involved very high-risk situations, including direct threats to the lives and physical safety of the defenders, explained María Espinosa, a member of Amazon Frontlines.

The assessment identifies judicial criminalization as the most frequent form of threat across the three countries, accounting for 39.5 percent of the documented cases, followed by direct intimidation (23.7 percent) and economic pressure (15.8 percent).

The report identifies several key actors behind these threats, including armed forces and police, mining companies, irregular armed groups, and agribusiness and oil corporations.

Indigenous rights defender Viviana Calapucha and Oswaldo Nenquimo, president of the Waorani Organization of Pastaza, spoke out against these threats.

Meanwhile, Danny Kaekat, a representative of the Shuar Indigenous people, called on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations to urge governments to respect the rights of Indigenous peoples.

“We want to live in peace because our rainforest is our life; it is our home,” asserted Kaekat.

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