U'WA DEFENSE WORKING GROUP
For Immediate Release: February 11, 2000
Contacts: Atossa Soltani 310-456-1340 or Martin Wagner 415-627-6700
ext.
216
Steve Kretzmann 510-551-7953 or Shannon Wright 415-595-7246
Colombia: Police Attack Peaceful U'wa Blockade
Three U'wa Children Killed - U'wa Reserve Militarized
Oxy and Colombian Government Urged to Suspend Operations
Cubará, Colombia -- Dangerously escalating an already
tense situation,
Colombian National Police today brutally attacked a group of 450
peaceful
U'wa protesters on a road near the hamlet of Canoas, approximately
4
kilometers from Gibraltar 1, site of the Occidental Petroleum's
proposed oil
well in Northeast Colombia. According to an urgent communiqué
from the
U'wa, this attack resulted in the death of three U'wa children.
Many adults
were also injured and several U'wa are now missing.
The U'wa report that at 8:15 am this morning, four helicopters
arrived from
Bogota carrying members of the Colombian National Police who then
began to
disperse a group of U'wa men, women, children, and medicine men
and their
supporters who have been peacefully blockading the Saravena -
Pomplano road
for the past week. Without warning, the police used tear gas
and heavy
machinery to charge the blockade, forcing the peaceful U'wa into
the Cubujón
River. The road blockades had been effectively stopping Oxy from
moving in
construction equipment to the drill site.
The U'wa are in engaged in a tense standoff with the Colombian
Government
and Oxy to prevent oil drilling on their sacred ancestral lands.
Since
January 19, the region including the site of the oil well have
been heavily
militarized. The U'wa also report that even the U'wa reservation
has been
militarized and the army is reportedly restricting travel to and
from the
reservation. On January 25, The Colombian soldiers reportedly
used brutal
methods to evict the nonviolent U'wa, airlifting the last 25 resisters
by
military helicopters.
International human rights groups are calling for an immediate
suspension of
all activity by Oxy at Gibraltar 1 pending a negotiated settlement
with the
U'wa and calling on President Pastrana to withdraw Colombian security
forces
from the U'wa Reserve and from the two farms owned by the U'wa
at Gibraltar
1. Furthermore, Groups in the U.S. are calling on the Clinton
Administration to use diplomatic pressures on the Colombian Government
to
ensure a peaceful resolution of this conflict.
"At a time when the US is about to vote for $2 million
a day in military aid
to the Colombian security forces, military maneuvers resulting
in the death
of innocent U'wa children cause serious alarm about how our tax
dollars
could fund more brutality and human rights abuses against innocent
civilians
in Colombia," said Steve Kretzmann of Amazon Watch.
In the past week, protests were held in 34 cities in nine countries.
These
demonstrations have been targeting the two most important shareholders
in
Occidental - Fidelity Investments, which controls about 10 percent
of Oxy
stock, and US Vice President Al Gore, who holds up to a half million
dollars
in Oxy stock and who has enjoyed the sponsorship of Oxy throughout
his
political career. Yesterday, a protest was held outside the Gore
2000
campaign headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
# # #
The U'wa Communique on the incident follows this press release
(English and Spanish).
U'WA DEFENSE WORKING GROUP
For Immediate Release: February 11, 2000
Contacts: Atossa Soltani 310-456-1340
Martin Wagner 415-627-6700 ext 216
Steve Kretzmann 510-551-7953 or Shannon Wright 415-595-7246
Colombian Police Attack Peaceful U'wa Blockade
Three U'wa Children Killed - U'wa Reserve Militarized
Oxy and Colombian Government Urged to Suspend Operations
Cubara, Colombia -- Dangerously escalating an already tense
situation,
Colombian National Police today brutally attacked a group of 450
peaceful
U'wa protesters on a road near Las Canoas, approximately 4 kilometers
from
Gibraltar 1, site of the Occidental Petroleum's proposed oil well
in
Northeast Colombia. According to an urgent communiqué
from the U'wa, this
attack resulted in the death of three U'wa children. Many adults
were also
injured and several U'wa are now missing.
The U'wa report that at 8:15 am this morning, four helicopters
arrived from
Bogota carrying members of the Colombian National Police who then
began to
disperse a group of U'wa men, women, children, and medicine men
and their
supporters who have been peacefully blockading the Saravena -
Pomplano road
for the past week. Without warning, the police used tear gas
and heavy
machinery to charge the blockade, forcing the peaceful U'wa into
the Cubujón
River. The road blockades had been effectively stopping Oxy from
moving in
construction equipment to the drill site.
The U'wa are in engaged in a tense standoff with the Colombian
Government
and Oxy to prevent oil drilling on their sacred ancestral lands.
Since
January 19, the region including the site of the oil well have
been heavily
militarized. The U'wa also report that even the U'wa reservation
has been
militarized and the army is reportedly restricting travel to and
from the
reservation. On January 25, The Colombian soldiers reportedly
used brutal
methods to evict the nonviolent U'wa, airlifting the last 25 resisters
by
military helicopters.
International human rights groups are calling for an immediate
suspension of
all activity by Oxy at Gibraltar 1 pending a negotiated settlement
with the
U'wa and calling on President Pastrana to withdraw Colombian security
forces
from the U'wa Reserve and from the two farms owned by the U'wa
at Gibraltar
1. Furthermore, Groups in the U.S. are calling on the Clinton
Administration to use diplomatic pressures on the Colombian Government
to
ensure a peaceful resolution of this conflict.
"At a time when the US is about to vote for $2 million
a day in military aid
to the Colombian security forces, military maneuvers resulting
in the death
of innocent U'wa children cause serious alarm about how our tax
dollars
could fund more brutality and human rights abuses against innocent
civilians
in Colombia," said Steve Kretzmann of Amazon Watch.
In the past week, protests were held in 34 cities in nine countries.
These
demonstrations have been targeting the two most important shareholders
in
Occidental - Fidelity Investments, which controls about 10 percent
of Oxy
stock, and US Vice President Al Gore, who holds up to a half million
dollars
in Oxy stock and who has enjoyed the sponsorship of Oxy throughout
his
political career. Yesterday, a protest was held outside the Gore
2000
campaign headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
# # #
----- Original Message -----
From: Censat Agua Viva
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2000 11:33 AM
Subject: URGENTE, URGENTE: TRES NIÑOS INDIGENAS U`WAS ASESINADOS
POR ACCION
MILITAR Y POLICIAL
DENUNCIA PUBLICA NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL
La Asociación de Cabildos y autoridades tradicionales
ASOU`WA y el Consejo
Regional CRIA, denunciamos antes las ONGS de Derechos Humanos
departamental,
nacional e internacional, los siguientes hechos:
Hoy viernes 11 de Febrero del 2000, siendo las 8:15 a.m., arribaron
fuerzas
mixtas entre policía y ejercito que fueron trasladados
por vía aérea, al
sitio de las Canoas, aproximadamente 4 kilómetros de Gibraltar
(Norte de
Santander), lugar donde nos encontrábamos concentrados
alrededor de 450
indígenas entre mujeres, niños, ancianos de la comunidad
U`wa. La fuerza
publica sin ningún aviso, procedió a desplazarnos
forzosamente a las
comunidades, con maquinaria pesada y gases lacrimógenos;
obligándonos a
lanzarnos al río del Cubujón, debido a la persecución
y hechos de fuerza,
quedaron como consecuencia de estos atropellos 3 niños
indígenas muertos,
niños y mujeres heridos y contusos, a los igual indígenas
desaparecidos.
Denunciamos estos hechos de lesa humanidad en contra de nuestras
comunidades
indígenas, que violan nuestros derechos constitucionales,
los derechos
humanos y el derecho internacional humanitario.
Solicitamos URGENTEMENTE la intervención de los organismos
de veeduría y
control del Estado, como ONGs nacional e internacional a pronunciarse
en
contra de estos hechos violatorios a los preceptos constitucionales
indígenas y de Derechos Humanos
Exigimos del Presidente de la República y de la OXY,
el respeto de las
comunidades indígenas, a la vez los responsabilizamos de
todo acto
violatorio a nuestras comunidades e integridad física y
territorialidad
indígena
POR LA DEFENSA DE NUESTROS DERECHOS ETNICOS, POR NUESTOS PRINCIPIOS
Y
CULTRUA
COMUNIDAD U´WA
PRESENTES, PRESENTES
ASOU`WA CONSEJO REGIONAL INDIGENA DE ARAUCA
____________________________________________________
English translation
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2000 11:33 AM
URGENT: THREE U'WA CHILDREN KILLED DURING COMBINED POLICE AND MILITARY RAID
DENUNCIA PUBLICA NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL
The Association of Traditional Uwa Authorities, ASOUWA, and
the Regional
Indigenous Council of Arauca, denounce the following to departmental,
national and international Human Rights and Non-governmental Organizations:
1. Today, Friday, February 11, 2000, at approximately 8:15
a.m., combined
Colombian military and police forces arrived by air to the hamlet
of Canoas,
approximately 4 kilometers from Gibraltar, Northern Santander
deparatement.
At the site, approximately 450 indians -- women, children, men
and elders
from the U'wa community -- were gathered. Without prior warning,
the public
forces violently evicted the members of the community using heavy
machinery
and tear gas, and they forced us to flee by leaping into the River
Cubujon.
As a result of these violent acts, three U'wa children died. Other
children
and women are wounded, and there are U'wa who are missing.
2. We denounce these crimes against humanity, specifically
against the
indigneous people. These actions violate our constitutional rights,
our
human rights and international humanitarian law.
3. We urgently request the intervention of governmental and
non-governmental
observers, from the national and international levels.We urge
you to speak
out against these abusive acts which violate the precepts of the
Colombian
Constitution which protect indigenous people and which violate
human rights.
4. We demand that the President of Colombia and Occidental
Petroleum Company
take measures to respect the indigenous communities, and we hold
them both
responsible for all actions which violate our physical well being
and
territorial rights.
FOR THE DEFENSE OF OUR ETHNIC RIGHTS, OUR PRINCIPLES AND OUR
THE U'WA COMMUNITY IS PRESENT
ASOU`WA/ CONSEJO REGIONAL INDIGENA DE ARAUCA