Abstract

The Tagaeri and Taromenane are among the last Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Three massacres and the Ecuadorian State’s failure to protect them led to the case Pueblos Indígenas Tagaeri y Taromenane v. Ecuador (2024) before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Because the victims remained in isolation, those bringing the case faced the challenge of representing them and producing evidence in their absence. This article examines how representation and agency were framed in the case. It analyzes how international law conceptualizes Indigenous peoples in isolation and mobilizes the right to self-determination to address the specific condition of “no contact”. It argues that while this framework enables protection, it also creates limitations when indirect communication occurs, raising questions about how the voices and agency of isolated peoples can be acknowledged within international legal forums.

Keywords

Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation Representation and Indigenous Agency Evidence and Testimony in Human Rights Law Inter-American Court of Human Rights Tagaeri and Taromenane (Ecuadorian Amazon)