The so-called Rubber Boom era constitutes a historical period spanning more than three
decades, beginning in 1879, during which the expansion of the rubber industry was
sustained by the systematic exploitation of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon,
leading to processes of enslavement, structural violence, and the genocide of numerous
indigenous peoples. For many families and communities, the memory of this period
constitutes a legacy of historical violence whose consequences persist to this day.
However, the crimes committed against indigenous populations have not been fully
acknowledged by the State.
In this context, the Tsɨuni collective (“to listen,” in the Kukama language) filed, on
October 13, 2025, a habeas corpus petition with the Mixed Court of Nauta of the
Superior Court of Justice of Loreto, seeking to compel the Peruvian State to establish a
Truth Commission tasked with investigating the crimes committed against Amazonian
peoples during the rubber boom era.
This petition is grounded in the right to the truth, understood as the right of
society—and in particular of the victims and their descendants—not only to learn of the
crimes committed but also to publicly acknowledge them, as well as to draw lessons
from them that help ensure they are not repeated. In this sense, access to the truth is also
a fundamental component of reparation processes, as it allows for the reactivation of
persistent historical memories and demands that the Peruvian State and its institutions
be held accountable for the systematic concealment of these events.
Building on the initiative promoted by the Tsɨuniy collective and the work of compiling
testimonies carried out by the Radio Ucamara team in Nauta (Peru), the seminar
proposes the creation of a space for transdisciplinary dialogue between anthropology,
history, and law. The objective is to foster critical reflection on the relationships
between memory, the right to truth, justice, and reparation, in contexts of historical
violence and its contemporary extensions.
Speaker: Leonardo Tello Imaina (Radio Ucamara, Nauta – Peru)
May 7, 2026
9:00 AM Peru | 3:00 PM Portugal
Online
Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84927456754?pwd=JE8KwtaPHeSBArF0zcj7ji30ANxgmq