....a military action against our relatives of the Peruvian Amazon who have been in resistance against presidential decrees of expropriation of the natural resources of their territories has resulted in a number of casualties and accelerated the crisis of the US-Peru trade agreements as instrument of collusion in the genocide of the Indigenous Peoples.

IEN Condemns Violence in the Peruvian Amazon

The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) condemns the violent attacks on peaceful indigenous blockades in the Peruvian Amazon that has left up to 100 civilians* and 22 police* dead and hundreds injured. IEN recognizes the communiqué of the Indigenous regional organization, the Coordinating Body of Andean Indigenous Organizations (CAOI) calling upon indigenous organizations, social movements and human rights organizations around the world to take concrete action: letters to the Peruvian government, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Inter-American Commission Human Rights, International Labor Organization (ILO Convention 169) calling to immediately send missions to Peru, in order to stop the violence and respect indigenous rights.

CAOI and other reports from Peru are continuing to report the APRA government of Alan García Pérez acting out its repression in the Peruvian Amazon against the Indigenous peoples and its citizens. The human rights crisis illustrates the consequences of a systematic failure in the basic governance processes related to self-determination, land and forest tenure and failures of implementation of policies of consultation and provisions of free, prior and informed consent.

The mobilization of Indigenous peoples to defend their rights resulted in violence last Friday was a reaction to a series of laws promulgated by President Alan Garcia’s government over the past year. The laws contain provisions that Indigenous organizations believe threaten their fundamental rights to access and decision-making over their forests, resources and territories. These laws were written and passed into law without any formal or informal consultation with Indigenous peoples, in violation of Peru’s obligations under ILO 169 and despite Peru’s endorsement of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the 61st Session of the UN General Assembly in 2007.

This is the second time in less than a year that Peru’s Indigenous peoples in the Amazon have resorted to organizing massive and prolonged blockades of roads, rivers and extractive industry infrastructure, as their increasingly frequent calls for consultation and dialogue have gone unheard. This illustrates how ignoring peoples’ rights and meaningful participation in processes that affect their lands and livelihoods can lead to serious social conflict.

Included within this IEN Special Newsletter are Action Steps you could take. Activate your communities, Native Nations, organizations and networks and ask them to send letters to the Peruvian Government demanding an immediate cease to the violent repression and a suspension of the state of emergency.

- Tom Goldtooth, Executive Director, IEN

* Reports coming from the area are mixed due to an almost total media blackout. Video and first-hand accounts are being disseminated by individuals from environmental and social justice groups. Exact numbers of dead and injured range from 38 civilians and 10 police to 100 civilians and 22 police. Other stories on the Peruvian situation can be found here:

Tags: Peru  Bagua  Amazon  protest  violence  human rights