Thousands of Amazon Indians are protesting against the Peruvian government. Protests have been going on for more than a week and involve an estimated 14,000 Indians from all over the Peruvian Amazon. A road and a river have been blockaded, boats belonging to a gas company have been intercepted, an oil pipeline has been closed, and a hydroelectric plant has been taken over.
The protests are in response to new laws passed by the government. The Indians say the laws undermine their rights and make it easier for companies to take control of their territories.
‘(We) are the victims of a systematic violation by the Peruvian state of the fundamental rights we have over our territories,’ a statement from Peru’s national Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, said. ‘The person responsible for this is the president, Alan Garcia, who has violated Peru’s constitution and international agreements protecting indigenous peoples’ rights.’
AIDESEP and other indigenous leaders have been in talks with members of the government, but these have since broken down. Peru’s prime minister has said that talks can resume if the protests are called off.
The protests started on August 9, the UN Day for Indigenous Peoples. One of the Indians’ main complaints is that the government has failed to consult them about the new legislation, contravening international law and the recently approved UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
AIDESEP has called for the protest to go on ‘indefinitely’ until their demands are met. These include the repeal of thirty-nine laws.
Protests by thousands of Amazon Indians across the Peruvian jungle have had major impacts on the Peruvian government.
The protests have been in response to new laws passed by the government that the Indians say undermine their rights and make it easier for outsiders to seize control of their territories.
Following the protests, Peru’s Congressional Commission on Andean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian peoples, the Environment and Ecology has proposed a bill to repeal the two most controversial laws – Legislative Decrees 1015 and 1073. Congress is due to vote today on whether to do so.
Peru’s prime minister has described the Commission’s decision as establishing ‘a bad precedent’ because it was made in response to the protests. Meanwhile, Peru’s president appealed to Congress not to repeal the two laws, saying it would be a ‘historically serious mistake’ and would condemn Indian communities to ‘another century of backwardness and misery.’
The government has declared a state of emergency in some parts of the Peruvian Amazon. There are reports of police firing bullets and spraying tear gas to disperse crowds, leaving some Indians wounded.
Reports say that Peru’s national Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, has called for a suspension of the protests.