Por Allen Perez

En horas de la noche del día 18 de marzo de 2019, el dirigente Indígena nacional, Sergio Rojas Ortiz, fue asesinado víctima múltiples disparos, hecho ocurrido en su casa ubicada en Salitre de Buenos Aires (en la localidad de Yeri), provincia de Puntarenas, al Pacífico sur del país.

Honduras es un país centroamericano con una biodiversidad valiosa para la región y una población trabajadora. Dos tercios de su territorio están cubiertos por montañas y tienen área protegida constituida en la reserva de Biosfera Río Platano en la Costa del Caribe con 830,000 hectáreas, la cual fue declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad por UNESCO.  

Cultural Survival's 2019 Indigenous Youth Community Media Fellows are hard at work. The Fellowship Project aims to support young Indigenous leaders between the ages of 16-26, who are committed and eager to learn about technology, program development, journalism, community radio, media, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights advocacy.

Come learn about international human rights mechanisms, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Outcome Document, and how they can aid in your advocacy efforts and put pressure on the U.S. government, both locally and nationally, to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
 

We invite Tribal members and community advocates in preparation for the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Third Universal Periodic Review of the United States in 2020.

Instituto Superior Pedagógico “Quilloac” Bilingüe Intercultural’s project in Ecuador will strengthening the Kichwa Kañari language through the use of mobile apps for children. 

Cultural Survival’s Keepers of the Earth Fund provides small grants designed to support Indigenous Peoples’ community advocacy and development projects. Since 2007, the Fund has provided nearly $2.6 million in grants and technical assistance to over 400 Indigenous-led projects in 65 countries around the world.

Just two months into the International Year of Indigenous Languages, Maya Ch'orti' linguist Saturnino Ramírez Interiano was assassinated in Chiquimula, Guatemala on February 13, 2019.   He was an linguist, educator, and active proponent of the history and culture of the Indigenous Ch’orti’ Peoples. "He was dedicated to the revitalization of the Ch'orti' language and culture, and always pushed community leaders in the region to maintain this valuable ancestral resource that is part of our identity," shared a colleague.

LGBTQ activist Oscar Cazorla. (Miho Hagino/Facebook)

On February 9, 2019, Óscar Cazorla, 62, was found murdered in his home in Juchitán de Zaragoza, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Protest march in Mexico City in response to the murder of Samir Flores, February 22, 2019. Photo by  @SubVersiones, 2010-2018, Licencia de Producción de Pares (Copyfarleft P2P).

Today is Presidents Day, a day for reflecting on where Native Americans stand after two years of a Trump presidency. Since taking office, the current administration has rolled back policies that protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and has failed to respect and honor Tribal Nations and their sovereignty.