Victor Macedo | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Victor Macedo c. 1915 | |
| Born | Victor Macedo |
| Nationality | Peruvian |
| Occupation | General manager for the Peruvian Amazon Company |
Victor Macedo was a Peruvian administrator involved in the operations of the Peruvian Amazon Company during the early 20th century. Between 1903 and 1911, Macedo held a leadership role at La Chorrera, a major rubber station in the Putumayo region, a remote area infamous for the exploitation and abuse of indigenous peoples during the rubber boom. He became a central figure in the Putumayo genocide, a series of atrocities that saw the enslavement, torture, and mass killing of indigenous groups by rubber barons seeking to maximize profits from rubber extraction.
Macedo's role in the atrocities, along with that of his employer, Julio César Arana, has been widely documented, with multiple reports and investigations implicating him in forced labor, starvation, and brutal punishments. These actions were part of broader company practices incentivized by commission-based payments, leading to widespread human rights abuses under Macedo's management.
Arrest warrants were issued for Macedo and other company officials following investigations into the atrocities, particularly those conducted by British diplomat Roger Casement. However, despite being briefly arrested, Macedo evaded significant legal consequences, partly due to political influence and corruption within Peru, and his later whereabouts remain uncertain. He later fled to Bolivia and continued his involvement in rubber extraction, escaping further prosecution.