VICTORY!
Hearty thanks to everyone who sent urgent letters to Peruvian president Alan Garcia in response to our recent action alerts! The indigenous peoples of Peru have won an historic battle to defend their rights and prevent corporate devastation of the Amazon rainforest. Since they began their protests on April 9, indigenous men, women and children suffered violent repression by Peruvian police and military forces. Labor unions and many Peruvian citizens joined the protests, while Global Response and other international organizations exerted pressure on the Garcia administration. Yesterday, at the President’s request, the Peruvian Congress repealed two laws that would have permitted multinational oil, mining and logging companies to rampage the Peruvian Amazon with no regard to the rights, opinions and territories of over 30,000 indigenous people. The laws had been approved to pave the way for implementation of a Free Trade agreement with the US. As a result, indigenous leaders called off the strikes and blockades that have paralyzed the Amazon region for more than two months. One indigenous leader, charged with sedition, escaped to Nicaragua where he was granted asylum.
Again, THANK YOU for demanding respect for the rights of Peru’s indigenous peoples and protection of the planet’s most precious natural resources.
Please see this excellent report (including video footage) by the BBC: Peru Indians Hail 'Historic' Day
And this article by the Guardian: Indian leader calls for end to protests in Peruhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8109021.stm
