Land is Life Denounces the Terrorist Tagging of Indigenous Rights Defenders in the Philippines
(Names left to right in clockwise order) Beverly Longid, Sherwin de Vera, Joan Carling, Jose Molintas, Joanna Cariño, Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, Windel Bolinget, and Jeannette Cawiding. “Activism is not terrorism. On the contrary, my organization, the Cordillera Peoples Alliance, has been and is a continuing victim of State terrorism and fascism. CPA will not allow itself to be silenced by Duterte’s attempt of unleashing further its terrorism. We will fight, and we continue to appeal to the wider public for your sustained support and solidarity.” – Windel Bolinget, Chairperson Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Land is Life Steering Council Land is Life joins various organizations worldwide in strongly denouncing the terrorist tagging of Indigenous rights defenders in the Philippines by President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. The Philippine Department of Justice recently filed a legal petition, which maliciously tagged as “terrorists” more than 600 individuals all over the country, including Windel Bolinget, member of Land is Life Global Steering Council and current Chairperson of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA). Also included in the terrorist proscription list are Joanna Cariño, CPA pioneer and Co-Chair of Sandugo Moro and IP Movement; Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur and former Chair of CPA; Beverly Longid, coordinator of Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) and former CPA Chair; Joan Carling, Co-Convenor of the UN Indigenous Peoples Major Group on Sustainable Development and former CPA Chair; Jose Molintas, human rights lawyer and former CPA Chair; Jeannette Cawiding, former Chair of CPA Baguio City Chapter; IP advocate Sherwin de Vera, and around 14 Indigenous leaders from Lumad communities in Mindanao. With more than a decade of solidarity partnership with the CPA, Land is Life has long known the dedicated work of the CPA in defending the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral domain and self-determination against State and corporate plunder and destruction. The Department of Justice petition is the latest in a chain of unrelenting human rights violations experienced by Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines. We have been receiving reports from the CPA and Lumad organizations on the numerous cases of human rights violations, which they described as acts of State terrorism and fascism. On March 2, 2018, anti-dams activist and CPA member Ricardo Mayumi was shot dead in his home in Ifugao province. We believe that the Department of Justice petition is aimed at silencing legitimate organizations, such as the CPA, and puts at risk the lives of Indigenous human rights defenders. We call on the Philippine government to stop harassing and criminalizing Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines, dismiss the Department of Justice petition, stop the extrajudicial killings of indigenous human rights defenders, be accountable to the numerous human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples, and uphold its human rights obligations.
Celebrating International Women’s Day!
On International Women’s Day, Land is Life invites you to stand in solidarity with Indigenous women around the world who fight each day on the frontlines to defend our planet. Enjoy this video highlighting the important work of our Indigenous women partners from the Andes to the Amazon.
Sengwer Peoples Facing Increased Violence and Forced Evictions in Kenya
On January 16th, over 60 armed Kenya Forest Service (KFS) guards raided two villages and shot into a fleeing crowd, killing one man and seriously injuring another. In the weeks since, armed KFS guards have destroyed fences, stolen livestock and burned dozens of Sengwer homes. This tactic has been used periodically since the 1980s, but last month the local government announced intensified efforts to clear out Sengwer communities. While the government claims to carry out these actions in the name of conservation, there is recent precedent to give the Sengwer hope. In May 2017, thanks to ongoing efforts from our partners at the Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights declared the government of Kenya guilty of evicting the Ogiek Peoples from the Mau forest. The Court determined that the government improperly used conservation as a justification for eviction. Amnesty International recently shared an urgent action to send appeals to the Kenya Forest Service, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Kenya. In addition to raising awareness on this urgent issue, Land is Life’s Kenya-based Regional Coordinator, Jemimah Kerenge, recently met with Sengwer leaders on how to connect them with our regional network and support their efforts to develop an enhanced land management plan through mapping and zoning of ancestral lands. These efforts build upon last year’s Africa Regional Workshop and our ongoing commitment to build stronger alliances and networks among Indigenous Peoples in the region and raise awareness on their threatened lands, territories, and cultures. Visit our Indigenous-Led Grantmaking site to learn about recent work to promote women’s rights by the Ogiek Peoples Development Program and preserving cultural values by Enkishon Indigenous Initiative along with dozens of other grassroots Indigenous-led efforts supported by Land is Life.
A Historic Vote to Stop Mining and Expand Indigenous Protected Land in Ecuador
This past Sunday the people of Ecuador voted on a constitutional referendum that resulted in a historic victory for Indigenous Peoples living in their country. Of the seven questions posed to voters, two had significant outcomes for conservation and Indigenous rights: a 50,000 hectare expansion of the Yasuni National Park (an officially protected zone which is home to the Tagaeri and Taromenane peoples, two of the world’s remaining peoples living in voluntary isolation) along with a strict prohibition on mining within the park’s borders. In the months leading up to the vote, Land is Life, along with allies Yasunidos, Accion Ecologica, and a group of leading Ecuadorian anthropologists completed a national campaign to promote a “yes vote” on the two relevant questions. A social media and national television campaign along with a public mural that represents the faces of Indigenous women (the largest in Ecuador) contributed to the campaign’s success. Land is Life acknowledges that the real work begins now. We are currently in the process of completing a formal report on the exact areas where people living in voluntary isolation reside and will present it to the government in order to ensure that the best decisions are made on how to expand the protected zone. We continue to hold dialogues with key government agencies to maintain this momentum and see the spirit of the referendum is not compromised. Land is Life is hopeful that this will set a new precedent for the ways in which national governments protect the land and rights of Indigenous Peoples and that it will create a resonating effect throughout Latin America and the world.