Government plans to file charges of attacking archaeological monuments after activists set up banner near famed drawings

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Peru will seek criminal charges against Greenpeace activists who it says damaged the world-renowned Nazca lines by leaving footprints in the adjacent desert during a publicity stunt.

“It’s a true slap in the face at everything Peruvians consider sacred,” said Luis Jaime Castillo, the deputy culture minister, after the action by the environmental group on Monday, at the famed drawings etched into Peru’s coastal desert, a UN world heritage site.

He said the government was seeking to prevent those responsible from leaving the country while it asks prosecutors to file charges of attacking archaeological monuments, a crime punishable by up to six years in prison.

The activists entered a “strictly prohibited” area beside the figure of a hummingbird, the culture ministry said. They laid big yellow cloth letters reading: “Time for Change! The Future is Renewable.” The message was intended for delegates from 190 countries at the UN climate talks being held in Lima.

Castillo said no one, not even presidents and cabinet ministers, was allowed where the activists had gone without authorisation and anyone who received permission must wear special shoes.

The Nazca lines are huge figures depicting living creatures, stylised plants and imaginary figures scratched on the surface of the ground between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. They are believed to have had ritual functions related to astronomy.

Giant hands adorn the desert as part of the Nazca lines, which were etched into the ground between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. Photograph: Kevin Schafer/ Corbis

“They are absolutely fragile. They are black rocks on a white background. You walk there and the footprint is going to last hundreds or thousands of years,” Castillo said. “And the line that they have destroyed is the most visible and most recognised of all.”

Tina Loeffelbein, spokeswoman for Greenpeace, said the activists were “absolutely careful to protect the Nazca lines” and that the group was taking the case seriously and investigating.

She declined to answer further questions, such as whether Greenpeace intended to identify to authorities the people involved, which the government has demanded.

“Peru has nothing against the message of Greenpeace. We are all concerned about climate change,” said Castillo. “But the means doesn’t justify the ends.”

A candelabra type form drawn into the desert in Paracas, Peru, related to the Nazca Lines in appearance. Photograph: Roman Soumar/Corbis

A week earlier, Greenpeace projected a message promoting solar energy on to Huayna Picchu, the mountain that overlooks the ancient city of Machu Picchu, another protected ancient site in Peru.

Greenpeace regularly protests against governments and corporations with actions that sometimes lead to arrests and jail. In March, seven activists were arrested for unfurling banners from the roof of the headquarters of Procter & Gamble to protest against the corporation’s use of palm oil, which Greenpeace linked to rainforest destruction.

A lawyer for the seven said last week that they would plead guilty to lesser charges of criminal trespass to avoid a trial on felony charges.

• The caption of the last photograph was amended on 11 December 2014 because an earlier version said: A candelabra type form drawn into the desert that forms part of the Nazca Lines. The picture was taken in Paracas, Peru, and the candelabra type form is related to the Nazca Lines in appearance.