Judge suspends British activist's ouster from Peru

A Peruvian judge halted the expulsion Wednesday of a British religious activist accused by the government of inciting unrest among indigenous groups protesting environmental damage to the Amazon rain forest. Paul McAuley will be allowed to stay in Peru while his challenge to the government's revocation of his residency is considered by Superior Court Judge Alexander Riojain in the provincial jungle capital of Iquitos, the activist's lawyer, Constante Diaz, said. Riojain ruled on a petition filed on McAuley's behalf Wednesday, the same day he had been ordered to leave the country. The judge could take two to three months to rule on the appeal, Diaz said. McAuley, 62, is a lay activist with the La Salle Christian Brothers who has worked in Peru for two decades. In 2004, he founded the Loreto Environmental Network, a group that works on behalf of indigenous groups.