HRD Attack
Oscar Mollohuanca
Sources
Oscar Mollohuanca is a human rights defender from the Espinar Province in the South of Peru. Sergio Huamani and Herbert Huamán are former leaders of Frente Único de Defensa de los Intereses de Espinar – FUDIE (Single Front in Defense of Espinar's interests). The human rights defenders and various indigenous and campesino communities in Espinar have organized and mobilized themselves in order to denounce the damage to the environment and to human health caused by mining activities in Espinar, as well as to demand a new agreement with the mining company. On 11 July 2017, all three faced trial, having been criminally indicted in 2016 on charges of endangering public safety, obstruction of public services and disturbing the peace. They faced 8 years in jail for the first two charges and 7 for the third one, in addition to fines of 27,000 EUR (100.000 soles). They were acquitted on 17 July 2017. On 10 May 2018, the First Criminal Appeals Chamber of the Ica High Court of Justice overturned the acquittal of Oscar Mollohuanca Cruz, Herbert Huamán and Sergio Huamaní and ordered that their trial be initiated once again.