Statements Protesting Killing of 3 Activists
Statements by Indigenous and Environmental Groups on
the Killing of Terence Freitas, Ingrid Washinawatok, and Lahe'ena'e
Gay
ONIC (Colombian Indigenous Group)
3/5/99
WE CONDEMN THE CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST THE NORTH
AMERICAN DEFENDERS OF THE U'WA PEOPLES.
According to today's news, the corpses of North American Indigenous
sisters, INGRID INAWATUK and LARRY GAY LAHEENGE, and a
biologist and defender of the rights of the U'wa Peoples, TERENCE
FREITAS, were found. They had been abducted on their way from
Cubará to Saravena, Arauca apparently, by the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC) on February 25th.
The Native Americans and representative of a NGO were visiting the
U'wa territory and carrying out cultural exchange activities. The NGO
as other North American Indigenous groups had been supporting the
struggle of the U'wa Peoples for the defense of their territory against
the threat of petroleum exploitation from Occidental of Colombia.
The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), strongly
denounce the crime against our brothers, sisters and friends from
North America. We condemn this act and consider it a demonstration
against the rights of the U'wa and other Indigenous Peoples of
Colombia.
To the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) we express
our repudiation and demand a clarification about this crime
committed against our rights. We cannot accept that persons who
defend the rights of social sectors, seriously threatened from the
extreme right, would also be victims of armed groups that say they
defend the popular sectors. We are calling friends of Indigenous
people from all over the world to speak out.
To the relatives, friends and colleagues of our Indigenous sisters and
brothers and North American friends we want to express our
condolences and solidarity, with the certainty that this act will not go
unpunished and inspire us even more in the defense of our rights
and the rights of all Indigenous Peoples in the world.
That the bodies of our brothers and sisters become rocks so that the
Land may stay balanced;
That their blood replace the blood that others take away from
Kerachikará;
That their spirits be united with the flight of the Tijeretas
and look after the space of the U'wa and Indigenous Peoples of
America; That their words and commitment
be kept in our memory and the memory of Sira.
--------------------
Que los cuerpos de nuestros hermanos se coloquen como pierdas
para que la Tierra se mantenga en equilibrio; que su sangre
reemplace la sangre que otros le quitan a Kerachikará; que sus
espíritus se unan al vuelo de las Tijeretas
y cuiden el espacio de los U'wa y de los Pueblos Indígenas de
América; que su palabra y su entrega solidaria
se mantengan en nuestra memoria y en la de Sira.
Executive Committee
Santafé de Bogotá, D.C.
March 5, 1999
============================================
U'WA DEFENSE WORKING GROUP
March 6, 1999
Version en Espanol al final
Contacts:
Steve Kretzmann (510) 421-5130-mobile, 510-705-8982, 510-339-
6933 Shannon Wright (415) 398-4404, ext. 316 or (415) 920-9809
Atossa Soltani, (310) 456-1340
Melina Selverston (202) 785-3334
On the Murders of Three American Activists in Colombia
"Today we feel that we're fighting a large and strong spirit that
wants to beat us or force us to submit to a law contrary to that which
Sira (God) established and wrote in our hearts, even before there was
the sun and the moon. When faced with such a thing, we are left with
no alternative other than to continue fighting on the side of the sky
and earth and spirits or else disappear when the irrationality of the
invader violates the most sacred of our laws."
-- U'wa Statement, August 10, 1998
We are grieved and shocked by the tragic news of the murders in
Colombia of our three colleagues and fellow activists Terence Freitas,
Ingrid Washinawatok, and Lahe'ena'e Gay and offer our heartfelt
condolences to their families and friends. Terence Freitas was a dear
friend of all of ours and a dedicated activist who had devoted the last
two years of his life to supporting the U'wa people of Colombia to
defend their rights and traditional territory from oil exploration by
Occidental Petroleum. Terry served as the coordinator of the U'wa
Defense Working Group. No one outside of Colombia has done more to
support this struggle than Terry.
We call for a full investigation by the US government and
independent human rights observers into the deaths of our three
colleagues. We call on the State Department to ensure that the
possible role of paramilitary groups is fully investigated, and we call
upon the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) to
clarify their involvement, if any.
The U'wa people's rights and ancestral land remain under threat
from the proposed oil project. The U'wa have expressed repeatedly
and in adamant terms their opposition to this project. Occidental's
application for a drilling license is currently pending with the
Colombian Ministry, and a decision is expected at any time. The well
sites in question fall within an area the U'wa consider their ancestral
land.
On several occasions last year, Terry reported being followed and
observed by individuals believed to be associated with paramilitary
activity. On the same trip, Terry was forced to sign a statement by
the Colombian military, which essentially absolved the Colombian
military of any responsibility for his safety. He interpreted this as an
intimidation tactic. The deaths of our friends underscore the need for
immediate steps to peacefully end the escalating violence in oil
regions and against human rights advocates in Colombia.
We reaffirm the U'wa's demand that Occidental immediately
withdraw their application to drill on ancestral U'wa lands and call
on Occidental to consider its role in the ongoing cycle of violence in
Colombia.
Oil and violence are inextricably linked in Colombia. Thirteen of the
fourteen Colombian military battalions implicated in human rights
abuses by Amnesty International received U.S. weapons or training.
Occidental's Caño Limón pipeline has been attacked by guerrillas
more than 500 times in its 12 years of existence. In response to this
guerrilla tactic, the government has militarized oil production and
pipeline zones, in the process persecuting local populations whom the
government assumes are helping the guerrillas. Arauca, the area
where our friends were killed, has one of the highest rates of
documented human rights abuses by paramilitary forces loyal to the
governments.
We resolve to carry on the work of Terry, Ingrid and Lahe' in
defense of the U'wa people. Their deaths will not be in vain.
For more background information on the U'wa struggle, please
consult uwa.moles.org, www.ran.org, www.arcweb.org
Member of the U'wa Defense Working Group: Amazon Coalition o
Amazon Watch o Action Resource Center o Earth Justice Legal
Defense Fund o EarthWays Foundation o International Law Project
for Human Environmental & Economic Defense o Project Underground
o Rainforest Action Network o Sol Communications
_____________________
GRUPO DE TRABAJO EN DEFENSA DE LOS U'WA
6 de Marzo 1999
Contactos en los Estados Unidos:
California:
Shannon Wright 415-398-4404 ext. 16, 415-920-9808 -ESPANOL
Steve Kretzmann (510) 421-5130-mobil, 510-705-8982, 510-339-
6933 Atossa Soltani, (310) 456-1340 ESPANOL
Washington DC: Melina Selverston(202) 785-3334 ESPANOL
Acerca de los Asesinatos de Tres Activistas Americanos en Colombia
"Hoy sentimos que nuestra lucha es contra un espiritu muy grande y
fuerte que nos quiere convencer u obligar a recibir una ley contraria
a la que Sira (Dios) establecio y escribio en nuestros corazones, aun
antes de haber sol y luna. Ante tal pretencion no nos queda otra
alternative que seguir luchando al lado de los espiritus del cielo y de
la tierra o desaparecer cuando la irracionalidad del invasor viole lo
mas sagrado de nuestra ley. "
-Declaracion U'wa, Agosto 10,1998
Estamos afligidos y conmocionados por la noticia tragica del asesinato
en Colombia de nuestros tres colegas y activistas companeros Terence
Freitas, Ingrid Washinawatok, y Lahe'ena'e Gay y queremos hacer
llegar nuestras sinceras condolencias a sus familias y amigos. Terence
Freitas era un amigo querido de todos y un activista dedicado quien
entrego los ultimos dos anos de su vida al apoyo del pueblo de los
U'wa de Colombia, en la defensa de sus derechos y territorios
tradicionales, contra la exploracion petrolera por parte de Occidental
Petroleum. Terry era el coordinador del Grupo de Trabajo en Defensa
de los U'wa. Nadie fuera de Colombia ha hecho mas que Terry para
apoyar esta lucha.
Pedimos una investigacion completa acerca de las muertes de
nuestros tres colegas por el gobierno de Los Estados Unidos y unos
observadores de los derechos humanos independientes. Le pedimos
al Departamento de Estado que se segure que cualquier posible
participacion por parte de los grupos paramilitares sea
completamente investigada, y le pedimos a las Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) que clarifiquen cualquier
involucramiento si lo hay.
Los derechos y la tierra ancestral del pueblo U'wa sigue bajo
amenaza a causa del proyecto petrolero propuesto. Los U'wa han
expresado repetidamente y con condiciones inquebrantables su
oposicion a este proyecto. La solicitud de Occidental para una licencia
de perforar actualmente esta pendiente con el Ministerio Colombiano,
y se espera recibir una decision en cualquier momento. Los lugares
de los pozos que estan en cuestion caen dentro de un area que los
U'wa consideren su tierra ancestral.
En varias ocasiones el ano pasado, Terry reporto ser seguido y
observado por individuos que se creyo estar asociados con actividad
paramilitar. Durante el mismo viaje, Terry fue obligado a firmar una
declaracion por parte de los militares Colombianos el cual
esencialmente le absolvia a los militares Colombianos de cualquier
responsabilidad por su seguridad. El lo interpreto como una tactica de
intimidacion. Las muertes de nuestros amigos recalca la necesidad de
tomar pasos inmediatos para terminar pacificamente con la creciente
violencia en regiones petroleras y contra partidarios de los derechos
humanos en Colombia.
Reafirmamos la exigencia de los U'wa de que Occidental retire
inmediatamente su solicitud para perforar en sus tierras ancestrales ,
y le pedimos a Occidental que tome en cuenta su participacion en el
ciclo de violencia progresivo en Colombia.
El petroleo y la violencia estan intrincadamente vinculados en
Colombia. Trece de los catorce batallones militares Colombianos
implicados en abusos de los derechos humanos por Amnistia
Internacional recibieron armas o entrenamiento de los Estados
Unidos. El Oleoducto Cano Limon de Occidental ha sido atacado por las
guerrillas mas de 500 veces en sus 12 anos de exsistencia. En
respuesta a esta tactica guerrillera, el gobierno a militarizado las
zonas de produccion petrolera y de oleoductos, asi persiguiendo
poblaciones locales quienes supone el gobierno estan ayudandoa las
guerrillas. El Arauca, area donde fueron matados nuestros amigos,
tiene uno de los indices mas altos registros de abuso de los derechos
humanos por parte de las fuerzas paramilitares leales a los gobiernos.
Estamos determinados a seguir con el trabajo de Terry, Ingrid and
Lahe' en defensa del pueblo U'wa. La muerte de ellos no sera en
vano.
Para mas informacion acerca de la lucha U'wa, por favor consulte a
uwa.moles.org, www.ran.org, www.arcweb.org
Miembros del Grupo de Trabajo en Defensa del Pueblo U'wa: Amazon
Coalition o Amazon Watch o Action Resource Center o Earth Justice
Legal Defense Fund o EarthWays Foundation o International Law
Project for Human Environmental & Economic Defense o Project
Underground o Rainforest Action Network o Sol Communications
________________________________
Shannon Wright (415)398-4404
Rainforest Action Network (415) 398-2732 fax
221 Pine Street, Suite 500 amazonia@ran.org
San Francisco, CA 94104 http://www.ran.org
USA
"We are seeking an explanation for this 'progress' that goes against
life. We re demanding that this kind of progress stop, that oil
exploitation in the heart f the Earth is halted, that the deliberate
bleeding of the Earth stop."
--Statement of the U'wa people, August 8, 1999
=======================================================
Statement By The Indigenous Women's Network
March 8, l999
RE: Killings of Indigenous Activists
We, the members of the Indigenous Women's Network, address our
comments to the world. On February 25, we received word that our
sister Ingrid Washinawatok, the Co-Chair of The Indigenous Women's
Network and Lahe'ena'e Gay and Terence Freitas, two other members
of a humanitarian delegation to the U'wa people of Colombia were
kidnapped. It was during the end of their visit that our sisters and
brother were kidnapped by hooded men in civilian clothing from the
car they were traveling in. The three were part of a delegation that
had been invited by the U'wa People to join in prayer and solidarity.
The purpose of the trip was to assist the U'wa People in establishing
a cultural education system for their children and support the
continuation of their traditional way of life.
The morning of March 5, the U.S. Embassy contacted the families of
Ingrid, Lahe'ena'e and Terence informing them their bodies had been
found in Venezuela about 30 yards from the border of Colombia.
They had been bound, blindfolded, beaten, tortured and shot
numerous times. It was through Ingrid's credit cards, which were
still in her possession that they were able to trace their identity so
rapidly.
The Indigenous Women's Network, joining with the Menominee
Nation, and other Indigenous Nations, is calling for a full prosecution
of those responsible, and an investigation into the actions of the US
State Department in reference to this incident. We believe that the
US State Department destabilized negotiations and ultimately cost
our sisters and brother their lives in a possible attempt to gain
financial support for US policies in Colombia.
We attribute this assertion to the fact that exactly during the
negotiations for the release of the three humanitarian workers, the
US State Department released approximately $230 million in military
support for the alleged Anti- Drug War in Colombia. The Colombian
government then attacked and killed over 70 members of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in an orchestrated
attack. We believe that these two overt acts may have destabilized
any hopes for the release of our sisters and brother.
The U'wa People live in the Arauca province in Northeastern
Colombia. The U.S. multi-national oil corporations, Occidental
Petroleum and Shell Oil, had been carrying out oil exploration in the
area know as the Samore block, the ancestral homelands of the U'wa
People. It is estimated that these oil fields hold less than l.5 billion
barrels of oil, equating to less than a three month supply for the US.
The U'wa people had threatened to commit mass suicide if these oil
companies were successful in their exploitive endeavors.
US and Colombian government Officials were prompt to lie blame on
the left wing guerrilla forces of FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia). This situation is not one that blame can be established
through words of Government officials without conducting an
investigation. It is a much
more complex crime.
The reality is that the Indigenous community and the US State
Department had both been involved in negotiations for the release of
these three humanitarian workers. Apesanahkwat, Chairman of the
Menominee Nation was active in attempting to negotiate the release
of the hostages as soon as he heard of their capture. "I sent a direct
communique to the leadership of FARC two days after she was
captured...The FARC leadership had sent a response by e- mail the
morning of the hostages' death," Apesanahkwat said.
" They sent greetings to us as a relative indigenous group, and said
they were optimistic about seeking her release," he said. Yet, as
Apesanahkwat noted, the US government sent money for arms to the
Colombian government four or five days after the kidnappings,
knowing that those arms might be used against the rebels who may
have held the kidnap victims, and that the kidnap victims might well
be executed in retaliation. Seventy FARC rebels were killed in a
government-led attack just before the kidnap victims were executed.
We, the Indigenous Women's Network join with the Menominee
Nation in calling for a Congressional inquiry into the State
Department actions in Colombia, with regards to this incident. We
also request, on behalf of our sister Ingrid, that her death not be
used to forward political ends of the US State Department, but that
instead, it be recognized as a crime, a continuation of the Indian
wars.
It is a crime against humanity. Against the mothers whose daughters
and sons moccasins no longer walk on our Mother Earth. It is a crime
against the sane, the Indigenous Peoples and all peaceful citizens of
the world. This crime was committed by the insane, the greedy, the
corrupt and those that will ignore the exploitive trade agreements
which allow and accept these practices as business as usual, all in the
name of protecting "National Interests", and subsequently the
interests of multinational corporations. We believe that responsibility
for these deaths rests with all of these parties.
Ingrid and her companions gave the ultimate sacrifice - their lives -
in the struggle for the attainment of human rights for Indigenous
Peoples. State Department support will increase the militarization of
a country already fraught with one of the highest rates of violence in
the Western Hemisphere, and a state continuing violence against
Indigenous peoples. It is against violence, and for the life of the
people and the land, that Ingrid, and the others stood.
Ingrid as well as her companions viewed the situation of the U'wa as
a part of the global struggle for Indigenous self determination as well
as the preservation of the natural environment. The deaths of our
three companeros must be understood as having a direct relationship
to the many thousands of deaths of those who seek human justice
not only in Colombia but throughout Latin America and other parts
of the world.
We who work for social justice must ensure that further
repercussions do not fall on the U'wa community simply because
they sought and received international solidarity and support from
groups like Project Underground, the Indigenous Women's Network
and the Pacific Cultural Conservancy International. The Indigenous
Women's Network and others will do our utmost to see that justice is
done and that we will continue Ingrid's fight in her support of the
U'wa Peoples and all those who work for social justice.
The history of violent repression in Latin America against Indigenous
Peoples would lead us to believe that right wing governments, and
their death squads supporting the interests of resource companies
and those wanting to interrupt the peace process are likely to have
been involved in the deaths of our three companeros. We also
demand that financial support to the Colombian military be
withdrawn until the true facts surrounding the deaths are revealed.
As Women, we are the Mothers of our Nations. We share the
responsibility of being life-givers, nurturers and sustainers of life- as
Mother Earth is a life giver.
The Indigenous Women's Network is committed to nurturing our
children and planting seeds of truth for generations to come. We do
not want to repeat past mistakes. We will continue our work to
eliminate the oppression of colonization, and to end the Indian wars.
The Indigenous Women's Network demands that the parties
responsible for the abduction and execution of Ingrid Washinawatok,
Terence Freitas, and Lahe'ena'e Gay, be brought to justice. They must
make themselves known and not hide behind the corrupt plunders of
those that rape our Mother Earth of her blood and the parties that
protect them.
In the Spirit of Mother Earth,
The Indigenous Women's Network
For more information contact Charon Asetoyer at (605)487-7072 or
Priscilla Settee at (306)653-4101.
Servicio Internacional para la Paz/International Service for Peace is a
coalition of North American, Latin American and European
organizations formed to support the peace process in Chiapas, Mexico.
SIPAZ combines violence reduction and peacebuilding strategies in
Chiapas with efforts to inform and mobilize the international
community.
SIPAZ International Office
P.O. Box 2415
Santa Cruz, CA 95063 USA
Tel. & Fax: 831 425 1257
E-mail: sipaz@igc.org
http://www.nonviolence.org.sipaz
====================================================
MIDWEST TREATY NETWORK
STATEMENT ON COLOMBIAN KILLINGS
OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS ACTIVISTS
The Midwest Treaty Network deplores the March 4 murders of
Menominee Nation member Ingrid Washinawatok, Hawai'ian
sovereignty
activist Lahe'ena'e Gay, and California environmental organizer
Terence
Freitas. The three had been visiting U'wa communities in Colombia
threatened by U.S. oil development, in order to help start an
indigenous
school system. They were kidnapped by Colombian gunmen on their
way
home, and on March 4 were slain along the Arauca River in
Venezuela.
Our hearts go out to the families of these three activists, and for the
great
loss suffered by the Menominee Nation and the Hawai'ian Nation. We
knew Ingrid as a strong woman with a special sense of humor and
commitment. She and the two others had previously experienced
conditions of repression and civil war, and fully understood the risks
of
travelling in Colombia. But they chose to do so because they did not
want
to see another indigenous community alone and isolated in the face
of an
environmental threat to its cultural survival.
Ingrid, La'he, and Terry also understood that indigenous and
environmental concerns do not stop at the Rio Grande, but extend to
all
the peoples of the Americas. Our group, the Midwest Treaty Network,
was
founded a decade ago to conduct a Witness for Nonviolence in
defense of
Ojibwe treaty rights during the Wisconsin spearfishing conflict. The
effort
was modelled by one of our founders, Walter Bresette, on a similar
witness defending indigenous refugees in Guatemala. He understood
that
we could learn from Central and South Americans how to create
peace
and justice in our own backyard. Losing Ingrid in the same month as
Walter is a terrible blow to Wisconsin supporters of sovereignty and
the
environment, and stands as a challenge to continue their work.
In our current campaign, helping to stop the proposed Crandon mine
along the Wolf River, we have worked with Colombian indigenous
peoples. The first president of the mining company previously ran
the El
Cerrejon coal mine in Colombia, which violated the rights of the
Wayuu
Nation. Ingrid's assassination will increase our efforts to protect the
Wolf
River, which runs through her Menominee homeland.
*We support indigenous and family investigations into the killings, in
particular by the families, by the Menominee Nation, by inernational
human rights activists such as Rigoberta Menchu, and by Colombian
human rights groups. We demand that any governmental
investigations
not be distorted into calls for greater U.S. military involvement,
armed
retaliation for the three deaths, or any violations of Colombian or
U'wa
sovereignty.
*We call on the perpetrators of the three murders to be brought to
justice
in an independent setting--free from political agendas, public
relations
spins, or the use of the death penalty. Any form of justice must be
observed and verified by indigenous representatives and human
rights
organizations, or it will simply be interpreted as a cover-up of the
truth.
We call on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and
the
Colombian, Venezuelan, or U.S. governments, to submit any
apprehended
suspects to independent interrogation by indigenous and human
rights
group representatives of the three families.
*We call on a withdraw of Occidental Petroleum from U'wa lands, and
a
suspension of U.S. arms sales and military training to Colombia.
Whoever
is ultimately found responsible for pulling the trigger, it is clear that
oil
exploration by the Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum, and U.S.
military assistance to the Colombian military, created the situation
that
led to the deaths of the three activists. Oil, guns, and money have
destabilized Arauca province, just as the cocaine trade has created
violence elsewhere in Colombia.
*We call on the Colombian government and FARC to resume peace
talks,
and to recognize the U'wa interest in protecting their ancestral
homeland.
We call on the North American people and U.S. government to help
end
the war that has claimed so many Colombian lives. Our three friends
would have wanted their deaths to further the peace process, rather
than
to deepen the civil war.
*We offer any support necessary to find the truth, and to assuage the
loss
to the families. We urge supporters of sovereignty and the
environment
to contribute to the Ingrid Washinawatok Trust Fund, PO Box 910,
Keshena, WI 54135.
MIDWEST TREATY NETWORK
731 State Street
Madison WI 53703 USA
Tel/Fax (608) 246-2256
E-mail mtn@igc.apc.org
Web http://www.alphacdc.com/treaty/content.html
Background can be found on these web sites: Midwest Treaty
Network
http://www.alphacdc.com/treaty/ingrid.html Indigenous
Environmental
Network
http://www.alphacdc.com/ien/colombia.html National Indian
Telecommunications Institute http://www.niti.org
Colombia Support Network
http://www.igc.apc.org/csn/
U'wa Defense Working Group
http://uwa.moles.org
Rainforest Action Network
http://www.ran.org