Bagua Peru Massacre

[Prairyearth]

My heart is heavy and weeps for those who lost loved ones in Peru. Creator bless you with comfort and strength to endure the coming days. You will remain in my thoughts and close to my heart, Prairyearth

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Peru Police Accused of Disposing of Dead Indigenous to Cover Up Death Toll
Indigenous Leaders and Allies Call for an End to Violence on All Sides
BAGUA, Peru - June 8 - In the aftermath of Friday’s bloody raid on a peaceful indigenous road blockade near Bagua in the Peruvian Amazon, numerous eyewitnesses are reporting that the Special Forces of the Peruvian Police have been disposing of the bodies of indigenous protesters who were killed.

“Today I spoke to many eyewitnesses in Bagua reporting that they saw police throw the bodies of the dead into the Marañon River from a helicopter in an apparent attempt by the Government to underreport the number of indigenous people killed by police,” said Gregor MacLennan, spokesperson for Amazon Watch speaking.

“Hospital workers in Bagua Chica and Bagua Grande corroborated that the police took bodies of the dead from their premises to an undisclosed location. I spoke to several people who reported that there are bodies lying at the bottom of a deep crevasse up in the hills, about 2 kilometers from the incident site. When the Church and local leaders went to investigate, the police stopped them from approaching the area,” reported MacLennan.

Police and government officials have been consistently underreporting the number of indigenous people killed by police gunfire. Indigenous organizations place the number of protesters killed at least at 40, while Government officials claiming that only a handful of indigenous people were killed. Also the Garcia Government claims that 22 police officers were killed and several still missing.

“Witnesses say that it was the police who opened fire last Friday on the protesters from helicopters,” MacLennan said. “Now the government appears to be destroying the bodies of slain protesters and giving very low estimates of the casualty. Given that the demonstrators were unarmed or carrying only wooden spears and the police were firing automatic weapons, the actual number of indigenous people killed is likely to be much higher.”

“Another eyewitness reported seeing the bodies of five indigenous people that had been burned beyond identification at the morgue. I have listened to testimony of people in tears talking about witnessing the police burning bodies,” continued MacLennan.

At least 150 people from the demonstration on Friday are still being detained. Eye-witness reports also confirm that police forcibly removed some of the wounded indigenous protesters from hospitals, taking them to unknown destinations. Their families expressed concern for their well being while in detention. There are many people still reported missing and access to medical attention in the region is horribly inadequate.

The Organizing Committee for the Indigenous Peoples of Alto Amazonas Province issued this statement: “It is appalling that political powers have acted in such a cruel and inhuman manner against Amazonian Peoples, failing to recognize the fundamental rights and protections guaranteed to us by the Constitution. We express deep grief over the death of our indigenous brothers, of civilians and the officers of the National Police.”

The government expanded the State of Emergency and established a curfew on all traffic in the region from 3 pm to 6 am. Indigenous and international human rights organizations are worried about plans of another National Police raid on a blockade in Yurimaguas close to the town of Tarapoto where thousands are blocking a road.

President Alan Garcia is being widely criticized for fomenting a climate of fear mongering against indigenous peoples by drawing parallels to the brutal Shinning Path guerrilla movement of the 1980s and early 1990s, and by vaguely referring to external and anti-democratic threats to the country.

The Amazonian indigenous peoples’ mobilizations have been peaceful, locally coordinated, and extremely well organized for nearly two months. Yet Garcia insists on calling them terrorist acts and anti-democratic. Garcia has even gone so far as to describe the indigenous mobilizations as “savage and barbaric.” Garcia has made his discrimination explicit, saying directly that the Amazonian indigenous people are not first-class citizens.

“These people don't have crowns," Garcia said about the protesters. “These people aren't first-class citizens who can say -- 400,000 natives to 28 million Peruvians -- 'You don't have the right to be here.' No way. That is a huge error.”
Ironically, Peru was the country that introduced the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on the floor of the General Assembly when it was adopted in September 2007.

A coalition of indigenous and human rights organizations will protest in front of the Peruvian Embassy in Washington D.C. on Monday, June 8 at 12:30 pm.

Indigenous peoples have vowed to continue protests until the Peruvian Congress revokes the “free trade” decrees issued by President Garcia under special powers granted by Congress in the context of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

Among the outpouring of statements condemning the violence in Peru were those from Peru’s Ombudsman’s office, the chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, a coalition of 45 international human rights organizations, Indigenous organizations from throughout the Americas, and the Conference of Bishops of Peru. Also famous personalities including Q’orianka Kilcher, Benjamin Bratt, Peter Bratt, and Daryl Hannah and Bianca Jagger called on the Peruvian Government to cease the violence and seek peaceful resolution to the conflict.

AIDESEP, the national indigenous organization of Peru has called for a nationwide general strike starting June 11th.

Amazon Watch is continually updating photographs, audio testimony, and video footage from Bagua on www.amazonwatch.org.

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/06/08-3

[Prairyearth]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2009
12:09 PM
CONTACT: Amazon Watch
Gregor Maclennan 415-487-9600 gregor@amazonwatch.org
Nick Magel 415-487-9600 nick@amazonwatch.org


Pressure Builds on Peruvian Government to Stop Persecution of Indigenous Leaders
Over 100 Organizations Call for Santiago Manuin’s Acquittal
Families of Fallen Police also Call for Investigation of Bagua Violence
LIMA, Peru - August 11 - Over 100 organizations and over 1000 human rights activists sent a letter today urging the Peruvian government to drop legal charges against Santiago Manuin Valera, the internationally respected Awajun indigenous leader currently recovering from eight gunshot wounds suffered during attacks on protesters by Peruvian Police on June 5th. Peruvian human rights organization APRODEH coordinated the delivery of the petition to the Governmental Palace in Lima timed with the United Nations International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.


The open letter asks the government to open an investigation into the attempt on Manuin’s life, compensate him for his injuries and medical expenses and cease the politically motivated prosecution of Manuin and other indigenous leaders.


Police continue to raid indigenous organization offices and communities, while many leaders live in fear of imminent arrest. Government investigations have focused exclusively on indigenous people’s actions and not the police’s violent attack on protesters that resulted in over 200 people being hospitalized.


Last month the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, issued a public report on his field visit to Bagua. In his report, Anaya echoes many of the concerns of indigenous communities and civil society groups. The report highlights the immediate need for an impartial and independent investigation, review of charges against indigenous leaders including Santiago Manuin and AIDESEP President Alberto Pizango, and creation of a law on indigenous community consultation.

Although the government of Peru publicly supported the findings of the UN Special Rapporteur’s report, it has not followed a number of the report’s central recommendations including allowing and enabling a full, unobstructed and impartial investigation into the Bagua violence.

Families of the police officers killed in Bagua are echoing the UN Rapporteur’s calls, also demanding a full and independent investigation into the government’s actions in Bagua. In a recent press conference Flor Vasquez, widow of a Peruvian Police commander, pleaded for the government to “get to the bottom of the truth” calling into question the police’s orders and political motivations that attributed to the June 5th violence.

“Two months after the violent clashes in Bagua and there are still no answers about how an attempt to end a peaceful protest resulted in at least 33 dead and over 200 injured,” said Atossa Soltani, executive director of Amazon Watch. “We join hundreds of people who are demanding that the Garcia government open a full independent investigation into the tragic events on the 5th of June. The politically motivated persecution of indigenous leaders must stop.”

The full text of the letter is found at www.amazonwatch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=1896



The Spanish version can be found at www.aprodeh.org.pe/casomanuin.html

[Prairyearth]

| 18 August, 2009 [ 15:56 ]

Peru: Amazonian indigenous communities preparing more protests


LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The indigenous leaders from Jaén (Cajamarca region) will decide this weekend on the possible restart of their protests, with the aim of demanding a real dialogue with the government and the repeal of all the legislative decrees that they consider harmful to their ancestral land.

“Awajun communities are aware and in state of alert,” said Mateo Impi, representative from the Regional Organization of Indigenous Peoples, remarking that the natives are very disappointed because “more than two months have passed since the Bagua events and the government has neither started the talks, nor chosen representatives for the Commission for the Truth.”

“On August 22nd we will meet and decide on the measures we might take if our demands are not met,” said Timpi, stressing that they are not planning violent demonstrations, but that they will keep on defending their territories.

http://www.livinginperu.com/news/9853