Tell Bolivia: Stop the Repression, Respect Indigenous Rights

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Stop police crack-down! Respect indigenous rights!


From Amazon Watch

A protest march by Bolivian indigenous peoples turned violent on September 25th as 500 Bolivian police tear-gassed, fired upon with rubber bullets, and beat a group of hundreds of protesters. Take action now, urging the Bolivian government to de-escalate tensions by immediately stopping the violent repression and by entering into good-faith dialogue with the marchers.

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Text Message

Dear Minister David Choquehuanca –

I am horrified to read about the violent confrontation between Bolivian police and indigenous marchers from TIPNIS this past Sunday. Whereas members of the Morales Administration claimed police forces were there to defend against violence, they became the instigators of such violence. This entire episode is extremely discouraging, coming from an indigenous President who, until now, has been viewed as a defender of indigenous rights and the environment. Please communicate to the President that recent events have damaged, perhaps irrevocably, the international image of Bolivia amongst social movements and people of conscience. To repair this image, radical actions should be carried out to take full responsibility for what happened and to immediately change course.

I join many others in urging you to wield your influence within the Bolivian Government to ensure that the violence stops immediately. Additionally, a full investigation should be carried out, and the people who gave the order for Sunday’s violence should be held accountable. Field reports indicate that construction of the road continues, even though President Morales called for a suspension. This construction must stop immediately.

Ultimately, a free, prior, and informed consultation as stipulated in the Bolivian constitution should be carried out amongst all the indigenous peoples of TIPNIS. This should not be substituted by the Beni-Cochabamba referendum that President Morales has been proposed. Related to this, the government should carry out the appropriate engineer and environmental studies of the project, including the study of alternate routes outside the protected area of the TIPNIS.

Sincerely,

See More: Human Rights

foreign invaders,
behavior, the worst
but did you forget
that you were not there
first!!!!

Karen Lyons Kalmenson