Open Letter: SPDA Reaffirms Commitment to Defending the Truth and Fighting Environmental Crimes

In view of the report broadcasted yesterday, May 5, 2024, in the journalistic program Contracorriente of the Willax TV channel, the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA) expresses the following: 

SPDA is an organization with more than 37 years of experience in analyzing the main environmental challenges of the country, proposing solutions based on science and evidence. Our work has always focused on providing technical-legal support, strengthening capacities and providing training tools for the specialization of environmental law, in order to guarantee our constitutional right to live in a healthy environment. For this reason, we maintain relationships of cooperation, collaboration and training with public and private entities and the Academy, at international, national, regional and local levels, which are reflected in various agreements and initiatives throughout our history.

These agreements are legal and formal mechanisms that seek to regulate collaboration within the competencies of public entities and our role as a civil society organization. Our commitment is developed through, among other things, training workshops, specialization, university courses and other educational and training activities on topics such as environmental law and/or natural resources.

This collaborative relationship is the essence of a civil society organization whose objective is to defend the public and collective interest. 

The SPDA does not promote, pursue or represent private or particular interests and we do not have any conflict of interest in our actions, interventions, initiatives or projects. We always seek to defend the public or collective interest and ensure compliance with the constitutional right we have referred to above.

Therefore, we reject the false statements made in the program Contracorriente of Willax Televisión, last Sunday, May 5, 2024, and we deny having any interference in justice operators and possible conflicts of interest.

We recognize and defend the independence of the judiciary as a branch of the State, as well as that of all public institutions. In promoting cooperation and training activities, we do not seek to guide judges or prosecutors in their decisions or to direct judicial decisions.

Issuing unfounded journalistic denunciations, without verifying the legal framework and in an imprecise manner, is a practice that we condemn.

Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA)

Lima, May 6, 2024.