[News] Ecuador: Police Attack Indigenous Protesters

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Ecuador: Police Attack Indigenous Protesters

Written by Amazon Watch
Friday, 02 October 2009
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2141/68/

   Indigenous Blockades Escalate After Police 
Violently Attack Protest in the Ecuadorian Amazon

One Confirmed Dead and Dozens Injured in 
Unprovoked Attack on Demonstrations About 
Proposed New "Water and Land Rights Laws"

Source: <http://amazonwatch.org/>Amazon Watch

Macas, Ecuador (October 1, 2009) – At 4:30 pm 
Wednesday, the Ecuadorian Police staged a violent 
raid on indigenous protesters blockading the 
bridge linking Upano between the provinces of 
Morona Santiago and Pastaza. According to local 
communities, law enforcement backed by a 
helicopter, opened fire on demonstrators armed 
only with ceremonial spears. The attack has left 
at least one confirmed dead, a teacher and member 
of the Shuar nation, and some 49 civilians and police injured.

Tito Puenchir, President of the Confederation of 
Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon 
(CONFENIAE) said in a statement on Wednesday: 
"Today, President Correa declared a civil war 
against nationalities from the Ecuadorian Amazon. 
Therefore we demand that the OAS and the UN 
urgently intervene before the Government of 
Ecuador, to monitor and observe the blatant 
violations of the rights of indigenous peoples, 
that is our rights in accordance with all 
treaties and conventions signed by our country as 
ILO Convention 169 and the United Nations 
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."

CONFENIAE is the Amazonian arm of the 
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of 
Ecuador (CONAIE), which is made up of three 
regional groupings including CONFENAIE, the 
Amazon indigenous federation. Initially, CONAIE's 
called for national marches was part of a 
nation-wide protest against a new water law. 
Several thousand indigenous people had begun 
protests midnight on Sunday opposing the proposed water law.

Privatization of water sources, prioritization of 
water access for industry loose regulations for 
water contamination, and lack of community 
participation in water management where the 
foremost concerns of neglect in the water law. 
The groups are also calling for the repeal of the 
country's mining law, and for an end to oil and 
mining activities in the region. Ecuador's 
powerful teacher's union, (UNE), also joined the 
strike to protest education 'reforms' proposed by the government.

The Correa Government earlier this week postponed 
all debate on the water law pending the 
anticipated protests. Faced with continued 
protests, the order was given for police to "use 
force in order to clear the entrance and exit 
routes from the city" according to interior Minister Gustavo Jalkh.

CONAIE had called for a temporary halt to 
protests in many areas, yet CONFENIAE chose to 
continue its protests in the Amazon region due to 
the unaddressed and unique circumstances around 
the water law in the Amazonia region.

CONFENAIE is demanding that Correa travel to the 
region and meet directly with local leaders and 
communities' representatives. Correa has rejected 
the invitation, offering to engage in dialogue at 
the Presidential Palace in Quito, the nation's capital.

Mitch Anderson of Amazon Watch who is currently 
in Ecuador said: "One year after Ecuador 
recognized the rights of nature in its new 
constitution, one of the most celebrated 
environmental safeguards in history, President 
Correa is returning to business as usual."

Kevin Koenig, Amazon Watch's Ecuador-based 
coordinator observed: "Correa's 'revolución 
cuidadana', or peoples' revolution campaign, 
recognizes citizens' rights to protest and 
resist, which is exactly what indigenous 
communities were doing. Sending 500 police to 
violently disperse demonstrators was not only a 
blatant violation of human rights but also goes 
against the spirit and the letter of the 
constitution Correa fought so hard for."

Given the potential for the escalation of 
conflict, Amazon Watch issued a statement 
appealing "to Ecuadorian President Correa and 
government security forces to show complete 
restraint in the use of force against its own 
civilian population who may be exercising their 
democratic rights to peaceful protest and dissent."

Amazon Watch called for tolerance and peaceful 
dialogue instead of use of force to end the 
current conflict as well as a full independent 
investigation into yesterday's violent incident.

Background information at: www.amazonwatch.org and http://www.confeniae.org.ec/




Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20091002/6d127c82/attachment.htm>