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Forests Of Peruvian Amazon Stained With Blood

Green Forests Of Peruvian Amazon Stained With Blood

Bonn, June 8, 2009

The Coordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin - COICA - is outraged over the recent events in the cities of Jaen, Bagua Chica, and Bagua Grande in Peru.

We express our profound rejection of the repressive methods used by the Peruvian Government, which are criminal and undemocratic. Since last May, the government has declared a state of emergency and repression in several districts of the Amazon in response to a strike called by Peruvian indigenous organizations demanding the legal and legitimate respect of their territories, and respect of their rights, which have been violated by a dozen of legislative decrees that promote the entry of multinational companies into Amazonian lands to the detriment of local indigenous communities.

We condemn the killing of more than 30 indigenous brothers (Awajun and Wampis) and dozens wounded, including farmers, mestizos, and whites attacked for their solidarity with indigenous peoples.

We accuse the government of Alan García of political manipulation and authoritarianism given the Constitution Committee of Peru's National Congress's declaration that the legislative package which provoked the strike-signifying environmental, labor, intellectual property, and biodiversity management reforms--is unconstitutional.

We accuse the government of Alan García of failing to find a timely and legitimate solution to AIDESEP's proposal to repeal the ordinance 1090 and other decrees ((to facilitate the Free Trade FTA between Perú and United States), which could have prevented this massacre.

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We regret and condemn the reactions of the Peruvian government, its Ministers, and the media, for blaming the disgrace in Bagua on Peruvian indigenous bothers, and their concealment of information regarding indigenous peoples killed (by hiding their bodies). This only shows that the government of Alan García feared being accused of crimes and human rights violations.

We appeal to the independent press and human rights institutions to investigate, monitor and report on actual events actually taking place in Peru, as opposed to relying on information in the national press manipulated by the government.

We urge the international community create a commission to investigate and review the facts, and urge the Government of Peru to implement the ILO Convention 169 and other international treaties on indigenous peoples and human rights.

We demand that the government of Alan García be tried before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and respond to the international community about the massacre that occurred in the Amazon territories, where the armed forces confronted unarmed indigenous peoples.

We call on the indigenous movement of the world to show solidarity with our Peruvian brothers and to demand that the government of Alan García immediately stop this repression and murder wave in the Peruvian Amazon.

We urge the whole world to recognize that the environment is not only “biodiversity” but also the people that co-exist with biodiversity. Therefore, it is very painful for us that the celebration of World Environment Day, June 5, has been stained with the blood of our brothers, who were the keepers of the land in their struggle for environmental protection.

We emphasize our position as peaceful Amazonian indigenous peoples, although we will respond courageously in defense of our rights, our lives and the environment.

For the respect of life and integrity of the people! For the protection of our Amazon! For a common front in support of indigenous peoples!

COICA - Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin

info@coica.org.ec

ENDS

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