Theft and Threats of Violence Plague Ecuadoran Indigenous Rights
Organizations
[photo: Valerio Grefa holding microphone, Coordinator General of COICA]
On the evening of October 31st, the Quito office of one of the most
important indigenous organizations in the world, COICA (the
Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Peoples Organizations of the Amazon
Basin) was broken into and robbed of over $6,000 in equipment including
computers, documents, and a fax machine. Earlier in the month, on
October 12, a dead dog was found near their office with a threatening
note attached.
COICA was founded in 1984 due to increasing international
development in the Amazon, and the resulting need for indigenous
communities to address these issues. From a small organization
representing five groups, they have grown to be the international
representative of almost all indigenous peoples living in the South
American rainforests, challenging the UN, international lending
institutions and transnational corporations to recognize indigenous
rights and work with indigenous communities. COICA has allowed
indigenous communities to have their own voice, and to argue their own
issues, locally, nationally, and internationally.
Just a few weeks before the breakin, COICA had taken extra security
measures after hearing of a breakin at the CONFENIAE (Confederation of
Indian Nationalities of the Ecuadoran Amazon) office. CONFENIAE, an
umbrella group that consists of ten organizations representing 150,000
indigenous people, has worked with the Huaorani to keep US oil and gas
companies off Huaorani traditional lands. In addition to added
precautions, two indigenous students live in the same building as the
COICA office, making it seem well guarded. However, on the weekend of
the attack, both students were out of town visiting their families. It
is possible that the students had been watched, or that the office was
expected to be deserted due to the weekend and upcoming national
holidays on Monday and Tuesday. Police suspect that the incident
occurred on Sunday night, October 31, or early on November 1.
Although it may not be linked to the burglary, another violent
incident had taken place earlier in the month on October 12. A dead
dog was found near COICA's office with messages on it saying, "Mate un
indio haga patria" (be a patriot, kill an Indian) and "Muere Lucho Macas
el reformista" (kill Lucho Macas, the reformist). Luis Macas is the
president of CONAIE, Ecuador's national indigenous federation. The
first of the two messages has also been scrawled and painted on numerous
walls throughout Quito recently. This type of hateful extremism could
signal the emergence of a dangerous right wing effort to undermine the
indigenous movement.
According to Nilo Cayoqueo, Director of the California-based South
and Meso American Indian Information Center, "this burglary is just
another in a string of attempts to stop indigenous defense of the
rainforest. Another attempt to intimidate. Right now, this movement is
crucial to the defense of the land, and must continue to move forward."
COICA has held a press conference to denounce these hate crimes and
their dangerous message. Although they hope for action on the part of
the police and government, COICA expects very little action will be
taken without political pressure brought to bear by the international
community.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
COICA requests your moral and political support of its efforts to
protect the indigenous movement from further hate crimes. Please use
the following sample letter to write to Ecuadoran President Sixto Duran
Ballen in Spanish if you can. Send copies of your letter and letters of
support to COICA. Any financial assistance can also be mailed to COICA.
Dear President,
I am writing to express my concern over the recent burglary of COICA and
CONFENIAE. I am concerned for the welfare of these important indigenous
organizations, and their ability to continue to work for the survival of
indigenous cultures and the vast resource of Ecuadoran rainforest. I
request that the Ecuadoran government take steps to protect COICA and
the Ecuadoran indigenous movement from further threats and violence. As
was evicenced by the recent massacre of Yanomami in Brasil, such feeling
against indigenous people can turn violent and deadly. COICA is closely
monitoring the situation and will report any future incidents to the US
human rights and NGO community.
[ \' indicates an accent over the *following* letter, as in TeX. -cls]
Presidente Sixto Dur\'an Ball\'en
Casa Presiddential
Garcia Moreno 1043
Quito, Ecuador
fax: (593) 2-580-569
COICA
Calle Alemania
Mariana De Jesus
Quito, Ecuador
Phone/fax (593) 2-553-297
International airmail postage is 50 cents for the first half ounce.
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