The Ecuador Solidarity Network, an organization based in Canada and the United States joins human rights and indigenous peoples organizations in calling on Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to recognize campesino and indigenous groups opposed to a new mining law and large scale metal mining as acting in defense of their economic and social rights as recognized by international treaties and in Ecuador’s constitution. In particular, we are asking the government of Ecuador to review various criminal charges that a number of people are facing as a result of their participation in nationwide protests in the highlands and Amazon between January 5th and 21st.
Earlier this month in the Southern provinces of Azuay, Loja, Zamora Chinchipe and Morona Santiago, protests against large-scale metallic mining were met with police violence and repression. A number of activists were beaten and detained, and one leader was critically injured after being shot in the head. Following from these events, three men remain in jail facing serious charges with the possibility that others have orders out for their capture.
On January 20th, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) in cooperation with a variety of environmental, campesino and indigenous organizations protested congress’ recent approval of a mining law, opening the country to large-scale metal mining. The CONAIE and other organizations contend that the new law will violate the new constitution and allow large-scale mining in protected areas, as well as jeopardize critical community water supplies.
Following recent statements from the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission (CEDHU), the Regional Human Rights Advisory Foundation (Inredh), the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights (APDH), the Christian Youth Association (ACJ), the Peace and Justice Service (SERPAJ), and the Centre for Economic and Social Rights (CDES), the Ecuador Solidarity Network calls on activists around the world to support the human rights of protesters against large-scale metal mining in Ecuador. These Ecuadorian based human rights organizations recognize thatcampesino and indigenous populations opposed to large scale metal mining are acting in defense of their economic and social rights as recognized by international treaties and in Ecuador’s constitution.
Ask that the government review current detentions and legal proceeding to ensure that protesters’ human rights are respected.
We also denounce any attempt by right-wing organizations in the U.S. and Canada to opportunistically use the upcoming mobilizations to attack President Correa for motives that have nothing to do with indigenous rights or environmental protection.
Please send emails to President Rafael Correa:
– Presidencia de la República, Presidente Rafael Correa: Rafael.CorreaDelgado@presidencia.gov.ec y presidencia@presidencia.gov.ec
Please send a carbon copy of the messages to ecuadorsolidarity@gmail.com
PLEASE E-MAIL PRESIDENT CORREA THE SPANISH VERSION ONLY (BELOW) AND SIGN YOUR NAME UNDER "ATENTAMENTE"
President’s Office of the Republic of Ecuador
President Rafael Correa
<Rafael.CorreaDelgado@presidencia.gov.ec>;
<presidencia@presidencia.gov.ec>
Your excellency President Rafael Correa,
Based in the US and Canada, the Ecuador Solidarity Network came together to show to oppose North American economic, political and military intervention in Ecuador and to show solidarity with its social movements. As a result, we would like to express our concern given various detentions and imprisonment of indigenous and campesino activists taking place during recent protests against the new mining law and large scale metal mining from January 5th and 21st, 2009.
Various Ecuadorian human rights organizations including the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission (CEDHU), the Regional Human Rights Advisory Foundation (Inredh), the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights (APDH), the Christian Youth Association (ACJ), the Peace and Justice Service (SERPAJ), and the Centre for Economic and Social Rights (CDES), maintain that campesino and indigenous populations opposed to large scale metal mining are acting in defense of their economic and social rights as recognized by international treaties and in Ecuador’s constitution.
We also recall that the National Constituent Assembly recognized these groups as environmental and human rights defenders on March 15th 2008 when they granted amnesty to hundreds of community leaders in various provinces across Ecuador such as Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Manabí, Esmeraldas, Bolívar, Azuay, Morona Santiago, Zamora Chinchipe, Sucumbíos and Orellana.
Further considering that indigenous peoples in Ecuador claim not to have been previously consulted about the mining law approved by the current administration, in accord with disponsitions in the International Labour Organization Convention 169 and the United National Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we are also concerned that these arrests might represent violations of articles 12 and 13 in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders , a kind of situation identified by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as an attack against democratic principles in the Western Hemisphere:
"Another particularly worrisome aspect is the use of legal actions against defenders, including criminal or administrative investigations or actions that are pursued to harass and discredit them. In some cases, the states use criminal laws that restrict or limit the means used by defenders to carry out their activities. …In other cases, criminal proceedings are instituted without any evidence, fort he purpose of harassing the members of the organizations, who must assume the psychological and economic burden of facing a criminal indictment. …These proceedings generally involve charges of rebellion, attacks on public order or state security, and the formation of illegal groups."
We respectfully ask you to:
1. Review the criminal proceedings taking place against human rights defenders in light of what the Human Rights Commission of the OAS describes, especially proceedings concerning the following people: Vicente Zhunio Samaniego from the province of Morona Santiago (being processed for alleged sabotage in the Superior Court of Macas); Miguel Criollo from the province of Azuay; Miguel de la Cruz from the province of Azuay (being processed for alleged terrorism and for being a threat against state security).
2. To examine the judicial investigations against the following social leaders: Hernando Pereira, Ernesto Pereira, Wilmer Montenegro, Lenin Rosero and Lenin Alvear from the province of Imbabura; as well as José Esteban Cuascota Quilumbaquín, Gavino Cabascango Cabascango, José Juan Castillo Pujota, Francisco Farinango Ulcuango and Alfredo Cabascango from the province of Pichincha.
3. As well, to make a timely assessment of the health and safety of the following indigenous people detained on January 21st in the province of Zamora Chinchipe: Germán Naikiai, Giovanni Ullaguari, Kléver Lalbay, and Carlos Rumipuglla.
Sincerely,
La Presidencia de la Republica del Ecuador
Presidente Rafael Correa
<Rafael.CorreaDelgado@presidencia.gov.ec>;
<presidencia@presidencia.gov.ec>
Su Excelencia,
La Red Solidaria Ecuador (The Ecuador Solidarity Network), con base en EEUU y Canadá, fue conformada con el afán de oponerse a la intervención económica, política y militar de estos países en el Ecuador, y de respaldar las luchas sociales del pueblo ecuatoriano. En esta ocasión, venimos ante Usted manifestar nuestra gran preocupación por la detención y encarcelamiento de campesinos, ocurridos durante las protestas en contra de la minería a gran escala, efectuadas entre los días 5 y 21 de enero de 2009.
Diversas organizaciones de derechos humanos ecuatorianas, como la Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos (CEDHU), la Fundación Regional de Asesoría en Derechos Humanos (INREDH), la Asociación Permanente de Derechos Humanos (APDH), la Asociación Cristina de Jóvenes (ACJ), el Servicio Paz y Justicia (SERPAJ) y el Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales (CDES), nos han informado que las poblaciones campesinas e indígenas que se oponen a la minería a gran escala, lo hacen en defensa de sus derechos económicos y sociales reconocidos por los tratados internacionales y por la Constitución ecuatoriana.
También tenemos conocimiento que la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente ha reconocido a estas poblaciones como defensoras de la naturaleza y los derechos humanos cuando el 15 de marzo de 2008 otorgó amnistías a cientos de líderes comunitarios de varias provincias del país como Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Manabí, Esmeraldas, Bolívar, Azuay, Morona Santiago, Zamora Chinchipe, Sucumbíos and Orellana.
Considerando que los pueblos indígenas del Ecuador sostienen no haber sido previamente consultados sobre la Ley de Minería aprobada por la actual administración, en acuerdo con las disposiciones de la Convención 169 de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo y de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, estamos preocupados que los arrestos signifiquen violaciones a los artículos 12 y 13 de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Defensores de los Derechos Humanos , tipo de situación identificada por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos como de atentatoria a los principios democráticos del hemisferio americano:
Otro aspecto de la mayor preocupación es la utilización de acciones legales contra las defensoras y defensores, tales como investigaciones o acciones penales o administrativas, cuando son instruidas con el objeto de acosarlos y desprestigiarlos. En algunos casos, los Estados utilizan tipos penales que restringen, limitan o coartan los medios utilizados por las defensoras y defensores para realizar sus actividades.
En otros casos, lo que se hace es iniciar procesos judiciales de tipo penal sin fundamentos de prueba con el objeto de hostigar a los miembros de las organizaciones, quienes deben asumir la carga psicológica y económica de afrontar una acusación penal. … Estos procesos habitualmente comportan la imputación de los delitos de rebelión, atentado contra el orden público o la seguridad del Estado y la integración de grupos ilegales.
Por estas razones, y movido por el espíritu de solidariedad de los pueblos, es que venimos respetuosamente ante a Su Excelencia solicitarle que:
1. Revise de manera especial los procedimientos penales en contra de los defensores de los derechos humanos a la luz de lo identificado por la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la OEA, especialmente los procedimientos de las siguientes personas: Vicente Zhunio Samaniego de la provincia de Morona Santiago (procesado por supuesto sabotaje en la Corte Superior de Macas); Miguel Criollo de la provincia del Azuay; Miguel de la Cruz la provincia del Azuay (procesado por supuesto terrorismo y atentado a la seguridad del Estado).
2. Examine las investigaciones fiscales en contra de los siguientes líderes sociales: Hernando Pereira, Ernesto Pereira, Wilmer Montenegro, Lenin Rosero y Lenin Alvear, José Esteban Cuascota Quilumbaquín, Gavino Cabascango Cabascango, José Juan Castillo Pujota, Francisco Farinango Ulcuango y Alfredo Cabascango.
3. Averigue, de manera urgente, las condiciones de salud e integridad personal de los indígenas Germán Naikiai, Giovanni Ullaguari, Kléver Lalbay, y Carlos Rumipuglla de la provincia de Zamora Chinchipe, detenidos el día 21 de enero del presente año.
Muy atentamente,
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