ABC Praises Peru's 'Rare Prosecution' While Ignoring Western Complicity in Amazon Destruction
📰 THE STORY: ABC News highlights that five individuals are facing trial in Peru for the 2020 murder of Indigenous leader and Amazon defender, Arbildo Rojas Barboza. The article notes the rarity of such prosecutions in a region where environmentalists are often targeted with impunity. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The 'rare prosecution' sidesteps the consistent pattern of
Western-backed resource extraction in Latin America, dating back to the 1954 CIA coup in Guatemala for the United Fruit Company. In Peru, Indigenous lands have been systematically carved up for logging, mining, and oil. For example, in 2009, the Peruvian government's attempts to open up more Amazonian land to foreign oil and gas companies led to the Bagua Massacre, where at least 34 people died,
including Indigenous protesters and police. These policies, often driven by neo-liberal agendas championed by the IMF and World Bank, directly lead to the conflicts that kill defenders like Rojas Barboza. Double Standard: Western media quick to laud selective prosecutions in countries like Peru, while remaining largely silent on state-sanctioned violence and environmental destruction enabled by
their own corporate and governmental interests. Compare this 'rare' Peruvian trial to the absolute impunity enjoyed by corporations like Chevron, whose environmental devastation in the Ecuadorian Amazon has gone unpunished for decades, despite overwhelming evidence of toxic contamination. The U.S. government actively protected Chevron from paying the $9.5 billion judgment. Follow the Money: The