There is currently a state of emergency in Peru, where the indigenous people
have been peacefully protesting the violation of their territorial and human
rights. On Friday, violent attacks on peaceful indigenous blockades in the
Peruvian Amazon left 25 civilians and 9 police dead and hundreds injured.
Pachamama in Ecuador has played a key role in supporting this movement by
providing important financial, logistical, communications, and legal support
to the member organizations.
Amazon Watch, a close Pachamama ally, is supporting and tracking this
situation very carefully on the ground in Peru and abroad.
We are encouraging people to take action in the following ways:
- Write a personal letter, and activate your networks, to send letters to
the Peruvian Government demanding an immediate cease to the violent
repression and a suspension of the state of emergency. With your help, we
can generate thousands of letters to key decision makers and this can make
the difference. You can use a sample letter at:
http://amazonwatch.org/peru-action-alert.php- Make a donation directly to this effort. Amazon Watch has set up an
emergency fund to support: a) medical relief for the wounded, b) media
campaigns led by indigenous organizations, and c) legal defense for those
being charged. You can donate on-line:
http://amazonwatch.org/peru-protests.phpBelow is the latest news release with more details.
Thank you for your partnership and support.
The Pachamama Alliance Team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2009
Police Open Fire on Indigenous Blockade in the Peruvian Amazon
25 Civilians and 9 Police Dead, Over 100 Injured
Garcia Government Criticized for Orchestrating Violent Attack on Peaceful
Blockade While Censoring Congressional Debate on ³Free Trade Laws²
Peru Ministers Under Report Number Indigenous Peoples Dead and Injured
Interviews with Eyewitnesses and High-resolution Photos
<
http://www.amazonwatch.org/newsroom/index.php?type=photo> Available Upon
Request
Bagua, Peru (June 6, 2009) In the early morning hours on Friday, Peruvian
Special Forces staged a violent raid on a group of indigenous people at a
peaceful blockade on a road outside of Bagua in a remote area of the
northern Peruvian Amazon resulting in 25 civilians confirmed dead and over a
hundred wounded. Over 600 police attacked several thousand unarmed Awajun
and Wambis indigenous peoples including many women and children and forcibly
dispersed them using tear gas and live ammunition.
Dramatic photos (available on www.amazonwatch.org) of the attack show clearly the police
brutally beating and shooting demonstrators at close range. At 2am police
began to approach the demonstrators as they were sleeping along the Fernando
Belaúnde Terry road. Demonstrators refused to move from the roadblock as
police in helicopters fired teargas grenades and live ammunition.
Eyewitnesses report that police also attacked from both sides firing live
rounds into the crowd as people fled into surrounding steep hillsides, many
becoming trapped. As the unarmed demonstrators were being killed and
injured some wrestled with police, fighting back in self-defense, which
resulted in the reported deaths of nine police officers.
In local radio reports the chief of police claimed that the indigenous
demonstrators were armed and fired first. This claim has been strongly
rejected by dozens of local eyewitnesses including local journalists who
confirmed that Amazonian demonstrators have been entirely peaceful and only
bear traditional spears and in no way provoked any violence. A point
highlighted by the fact that the blockades have been going on for 56 days
without a single incident.
Gregor MacLennan of Amazon Watch who is currently in Bagua gathering first
hand testimonies from blockade participants, local journalists and residents
stated: All eyewitness testimonies say that Special Forces opened fire on
peaceful and unarmed demonstrators including from helicopters, killing and
wounding dozens in an orchestrated attempt to open the roads. It seems that
the police had come with orders to shoot. This was not a clash, but a
coordinated police raid with police firing on protesters from both sides of
their blockade.
There have been many accounts of atrocities committed by the Special
Forces. Some have reported seeing the police throwing liquid on the cadavers
and burning them. Also local residents have given accounts of having seen
police throwing bodies of dead civilians into the river in an apparent
attempt to underreport the number of dead. We¹ve also received accounts that
some of those injured were being detained by security forces and denied
medical attention leading to additional deaths. There are many people
still reported missing and access to medical attention in the region is
horribly inadequate.²
Peru¹s Ombudsman¹s office issued a strong statement yesterday demanding an
end to the violence. Letters condemning the government¹s actions are pouring
in from thousands of Peruvians and international human rights activists and
organizations. Today, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the chair of the United Nations
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues issued a letter expressing ³shock and
deep distress at reports received of atrocities committed² and calling on
the government to ³Immediately cease all violence against indigenous
communities and organizations."
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.
In the past two weeks, the Constitutional Committee of Congress has ruled
that legislative decrees 994 and 1090 were unconstitutional. The Peruvian
Congress was scheduled to debate the revocation of decree 1090 again on
Thursday, however, Garcia's political party, for the third time, prevented
the debate preferring instead to attack the peaceful blockades. The
government Ombudsman office has filed a legal action with the constitutional
tribunal regarding the unconstitutionality of decree 1064, which affects the
land rights laws in Peru.
Garcia has rejected several congressional debates on the decrees, opting
for violent attacks and brute force that will only worsen this conflict. It
is outrageous that the ministers are now attempting to blame the victims for
this incident and cover up the number of indigenous people dead,² said
Gregor MacLennan.
The protests have provoked national debate about government policies in the
Amazon that ignore indigenous peoples and encourage large-scale extractive
industries in Amazonian lands. Indigenous peoples assert that new laws
undermine their rights and open up their ancestral lands to private
companies for mining, logging, plantations, and oil drilling without their
consultation or consent.
AIDESEP, the national indigenous organization of Peru presented a legal
petition yesterday for "precautionary measures" to the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights requesting intervention to prevent more
bloodshed. Orders for the arrest of leaders of AIDESEP, including Alberto
Pizango who is being charged with sedition, were put in effect on Friday.
A coalition of human rights and environmental organizations are urging the
Garcia Government to stand down and cease violent confrontations by the
military and calling for solidarity demonstrations at Peruvian Embassies
around the world. There were demonstrations on Friday at the Peruvian
Government missions in San Francisco and Washington, DC. More are planned
next week.
For Background information see www.amazonwatch.org
or www.aidesep.org.pe.
Media Contacts:
In Bagua, Peru: Gregor MacLennan + 511 - 993 916-389
In the U.S.: Atossa Soltani 202-256-9795
[email protected] 
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