Members of the Canta Peasant Community, located in the rural area of the Lima region, have reported an attempted eviction from a property known as “Coso Taurino”—which they own—to make way for a national road project planned by PROVÍAS (under the Ministry of Transport and Communications) and COFOPRI. The project has proceeded without prior consultation or an explicit agreement with the local residents.
By: Emanuel Naveros Aliaga*
“The State is disregarding the collective rights (held by the community) as established in the Political Constitution of Peru, the General Law on Peasant Communities, and International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 169—Article 14 of which protects the territorial rights of Indigenous peoples and communities,” stated representatives of the Canta Peasant Community.
They added that “the State has not initiated any proposal or direct engagement with the community; instead, they are resorting to plans for forced, extrajudicial dispossession, which are manifestly illegal.” They further noted, “To date, we have not even been notified, nor has it been explained how much land they require; there has been no communication whatsoever to allow our general assembly to deliberate and provide approval,” in accordance with the ancestral customs of Indigenous peoples.
Infringement of communal rights
It should be noted that the Canta Peasant Community has historically held title to the “Coso Taurino” property—registered under entry No. P18020508—which is used for cultural and economic activities, such as livestock fairs, among others. Currently, there are two ongoing judicial proceedings concerning this property—Case No. 01446-2026-0-18A 5-JR-CI-09 and Case No. 00017-2026-0-0902-JR-CI-01—both of which have led to requests for police intervention that place the families of the community at risk.
The Peasant Community of Canta demands that COFOPRI, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC), PROVIAS, and the National Police act strictly within the scope of their respective mandates and refrain from carrying out any extrajudicial actions that could infringe upon the human, constitutional, international, and cultural rights of an indigenous community.
(*) Director of the YouTube channel TomaLaCalle TV
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPghI2vom94
