[Onthebarricades] COLOMBIA: State attacks ongoing indigenous protest

[Andy]

Colombian indigenous people send an SOS from Cauca

Since the 13th of Decemeber 2007, 64 people have participated in this
protest action.

The treatment of the Indigenous people of Colombia by successive
governments has been complex and unfair. Recently announcements from
the Organization of Antioquia (OIA) indicate that government's future
projects threaten the survival and livelihood of a significant
proportion of the local indigenous people.

22 projects in South America using an Integrative Infrastructure are
going to be developed in indigenous territories. More than 80 oil
exploitations are on 30 indigenous territories. The canalization of
Meta and Putumayo Rivers will adversely affect 37 Indigenous Nations.
Oil palm plantations will affect five millions hectares of claimed
land and 5 dams will inundate ancestral lands. With the New Law of
Rural Development (Law 1152 of 2007), the Colombian Government and the
Congress have abolished the holding of legal title by the indigenous
people of the Pacific region and other municipalities. Yet the
Government have not intervened on the four million hectares that drug
traffickers and big landowners (supported by paramilitaries) have
illegally taken by violent means from the indigenous peoples, the
Afro-Colombian and the peasant people. With other newly created Laws
in Mines and Forestry, the Colombian Government is about to abolish
indigenous rights to their lands that were recognized in national and
international treaties (the 1991 Constitutional Reform and the169
Agreement of the ILO (International Labour Organisation).

In 1991, the Colombian army killed 23 people at "El Nilo" Farm. In
1998, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights adjudged the Colombian
government's responsibility, and ruled that 10,000 hectares be handed
back to the original indigenous people of Cauca. Nothing has been done
to date to redeem this land. That is why the indigenous people have
made a call to free Mother Earth during the last few weeks.

CRIC has sent an SOS informing how Colombian army and police forces
have attacked the protest movement of indigenous peoples on the
Caloto-Corinto Road at the Department of Cauca. Four people were
seriously injured. "People had to retreat to avoid more injuries,"
stated Feliciano Valencia, a commoner from CRIC.

Colombian government is using excessive force. During the last few
weeks, military tanks have been sent to the communities; indigenous
leaders have been detained in their homes without legal representation
and commoners (men, women and children) have been attacked with tear
gas sprayed directly in their faces. Helicopters have been flying over
schools and indigenous cultural centres have been destroyed."

"However ─according to regional leaders─, none of these actions will
be enough to stop our legitimate claim to our lands. None of these
actions will shut up our voices to denounce the Colombian Government's
lack of justice to give us back territories that have been taken by
big landowners some of whom are relatives of current Cauca governor,
Juan José Chaux.
"Our brothers and sisters will continue to fight to recover the land
that was forcefully taken from us."

According to OIA press release, "In November 25, 2007, Cauca's
governor, supported by President Uribe's Security Council, accused the
indigenous protest as an act of delinquency, dismissing legitimate
right to protest and claim land that rightfully and historically
belonged to the indigenous people. He also intended to associate the
indigenous protest to the guerrilla movement FARC-EP, calling
terrorists our brothers and sisters, trying to de-legitimate the
social movement". "We are not land thieves; you can not steal what is
yours", OIA added.

ACIN also reports that "the community feels annoyed and sad because of
this tragedy produced by the repressive action of Government. However,
we will keep resisting until the government arrives at a decision that
benefits indigenous people and Mother Earth - not multinationals. We
will maintain the rituals to free Mother Earth. Our goal is to defend
and maintain our freedom to use our lands for our benefit and to
support other indigenous people's fight as well."

The Eastern Cauca Territorial Council of Indigenous Authorities
(COTAINDOC) rejects Colombian Government's response and demands that
serious attention be given to legal agreements previously signed with
the Cauca indigenous people.

Jointly with other indigenous organizations, "we plead the national
and international society, the Human Right organizations and other
social organizations to be alert and ready to attend any situation
that can occur to the eastern Cauca indigenous people in their
legitimate claim for their lands. We make responsible the departmental
and central government for the consequences of the violence used
against our people."

The Indigenous Parliament is peacefully functioning in the Territory
of Dialogue, Convergence and Negotiation "La María" at Piendamó
County, since November 22, 2007. We do not accept any violent response
from the government and we plead the national and international
solidarity.

You can read the public proclamation from CRIC Major Council, November
13, 2007 in

http://www.nasaacin.net/desafio_no_da_espera.htm

More information: http://www.nasaacin.net

If you want to support our protest, expressing your concern to
Colombian authorities, please fill the form at the bootom of the
following weblink:
http://www.regenwald.org/international/englisch/protestaktion.php?id=229
Please send immediately to the following addresses:

ADDRESSES
Colombian President
S.E. Álvaro Uribe Vélez
Carrera 8 # 7-26, Palacio de Nariño
Santa Fe de Bogotá
Fax: +57.1.566.20.71
E-mail: auribe at presidencia.gov.co

Colombian Vice-president
Sr. Francisco Santos
Tels.: +571334.45.07, +573.7720130
E-mail: fsantos at presidencia.gov.co ; buzon1 at presidencia.gov.co

Director of the President Program for Human Rights
Dr. Carlos Franco
E-mail: cefranco at presidencia.gov.co

Director of the Vice-president Program for Human Rights
Email: ppdh at presidencia.gov.co

Observatory for Human Rights from the Vice-president office
Email: obserdh at presidencia.gov.co

Ombudsman
Dr. Volmar Antonio Pérez Ortiz
Calle 55 # 10-32, Bogotá.
Fax: + 57.1.640.04.91
E-mail: secretaria_privada at hotmail.com; agenda at agenda.gov.co

National Prosecutor
Doctor Mario Hernán Iguarán Arana
Diagonal 22-B # 52-01, Bogotá
Fax: +57.1.570.20.00; +57.1.414.90.00 (Extensión 1113)
E-mail: contacto at fiscalia.gov.co; denuncie at fiscalia.gov.co

Colombian permanent mission in United Nations
Chemin du Champ d'Anier, 17-19, 1209 Ginebra, Suiza.
FAX: + 41.22.791.07.87
TEL.:+ 41.22.798.45.55.
E-mail: mission.colombia at ties.itu.int

Juridical Office from Cauca Department
Doctor Norbey Ivan Ortiz lara
juridica at gobcauca.gov.co

Government Secretary of Cauca Department
Doctor Carlos Horacio Gómez
gobierno at gobcauca.gov.co

Please take part in an urgent email alert to call on the Colombian
authorities to protect the rights of indigenous peoples. Some 10,000
indigenous people in Cauca state have recently begung a civil protest
to recover their land, which another 90,000 are waiting to support.
They have formed an Indigenous and Popular Parliament which includes
delegates from other Colombian social organizations. The Colombian
authorities have responded with violence and prosecution.

Land is being taken away from indigenous communities in Colombia for
palm oil (which is being expanded rapidly for biofuels), for oil
drilling and for mining.

To take part in the action, please go to

http://www.regenwald.org/international/englisch/protestaktion.php?id=229





Assessment for Indigenous Peoples in Colombia:
http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=10004
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/onthebarricades/attachments/20071224/fc7c0782/attachment.html>