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RFUK Condemns Massacre of Indigenous People in Peru

Date: 08/06/2009

Civil Society Condemns Massacre of Indigenous People in Peru

Calls on Peru and International Community to Respect Human Rights

We, the undersigned organisations, condemn the violence against peaceful indigenous protesters and police in Peru that has already resulted in at least 30 deaths.

We call on both the Government of Peru and the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon (AIDESEP) to engage in a good faith dialogue to prevent further escalation. We urge the international community to send a clear message to Peru that military repression is not an acceptable form of conflict resolution.

The current violent human rights crisis is a vivid illustration of the consequences of a systematic failure in the basic governance processes related to consultation, land tenure and access to resources.

The indigenous mobilization that ended in violence on Friday began in April as a reaction to a series of laws promulgated by President Alan Garcia's government over the past year. The laws contain provisions that indigenous organisations believe threaten their fundamental rights to access and decision-making over their forests, resources and territories. They were written and passed into law without any formal or informal consultation with indigenous peoples, in violation of Peru's obligations under ILO 169.

This is the second time in less than a year that Peru's indigenous peoples in the Amazon have resorted to organising massive and prolonged blockades of roads, rivers and extractive industry infrastructure, as their increasingly frequent calls for consultation and dialogue have gone unheard in Lima.

The tragic unfolding incident illustrates how ignoring peoples' rights and meaningful participation in processes that affect their lands and livelihoods can lead to serious social conflict and failed policies. As the world's climate negotiators gather in Bonn, we must heed these lessons and guarantee that indigenous peoples' rights are considered an integral part of any final agreement to save forests and the climate.

Amazon Alliance

Asian Indigenous Women's Network (AIWN).

COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica)

Consumers Association of Penang, Malaysia

Ecologistas en Acción, Spain

Ecological Society of the Philippines

Environmental Investigation Agency, US & UK

FERN

Friends of the Earth International

Global Exchange, United States

Global Social Justice, Belgium

Global Witness, UK