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Peru: UN rapporteur for Indigenous people calls for an investigation "with international monitoring" on Peru's deaths.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

UN Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, made public today its report on the events of June 5th in Bagua (northeastern Peru), in which 34 people died during clashes with the police and natives.

According to EFE news agency, Anaya called for an investigation with international monitoring.

Anaya's report, which consists of 50 observations in 15 pages, not only ensures that they have not received material evidence to confirm more deaths that the officially reported, but also is very critic regarding Peru's goverment attitude.

Anaya stresses his "concern" over the insistence on pressing criminal charges against some indigenous leaders "which clearly compromises the process of dialogue initiated between the Government and indigenous movements,” he remarks.

According to Anaya, "there is still much uncertainty about the events of Bagua, which have been officialmente explained with differing versions and lack of coherence."

Furthermore, Anaya states that he has heard “numerous stories that describe in detail serious abuses by police, including excessive use of force."

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# Harry says :
July 21, 2009 [ 16:59 ]

Come on, who does he believe murdered the police.

# jb says :
July 21, 2009 [ 17:25 ]

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# Carlos Benavides says :
July 21, 2009 [ 17:45 ]

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# Honest Injun says :
July 21, 2009 [ 17:46 ]

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# Illary says :
July 21, 2009 [ 23:03 ]

Ahhh... the UN. It seems that they are blinded by their ideology. The noble savages could not have done wrong therefore the police incurred in "serious abuses...including excessive use of force". If there isn't evidence is irrelevant, the indigenous people must be telling the truth so we need an investigation "with international monitoring". I think the lack of force is what caused so many policemen's deaths, because the mayority of the deads were policeman, Mr. Anaya.

# Carlos Benavides says :
July 22, 2009 [ 2:30 ]

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# jb says :
July 22, 2009 [ 15:07 ]

No fewer than 5 prosecutors, Beatriz Merino, the nationa's public defender, various congressmen (of all parties) have visited Bagua and the supposed site of a massacre of natives.  Nothing was found.  No one is missing.  In today's El Comercio it was reported that the UN's own Javier Anaya said that "he didnt find evidence of some killing of natives in his trip to Bagua city". 
The Humalistas are spreading lies and half-truths to whip up the locals into another mis-informed protest and probable unfortunate incident.  They are inciting the people to riot and this is against the law and the ones doing this should be rounded up and put in jail.

# c.schmidt says :
July 22, 2009 [ 15:56 ]

LIP is a page created for foreigners in Peru, to attract foreign investment and to describe living here from very different points of few . in general terms.
I think LIP does an excellent job because people in beween reading can find the true here. 
Either some persons like it or not - Mister Anaya is send to investigate Bagua events on internacional level base- he is paid to do his job fair and  neutral. I found it very shocking that some kind  of racial statement against Mister anaya  who is send from UN to investigate and clear up Bagua case is not taken out.
Therefore I ask Lip management to do so- surely LIP management didn’t act with bad intent- but it just occurs lately that comments without any insults were taken out and other comments with insults against persons from different country or origin could stay in- surely they  are very busy with other stuff and they didnt  make this on purpose.  
I allow myself to copy posting directly to Mister Anaya.  
in very general temrs  think also there is really no reason for nerviosity when there is nothing to hide.

# Juan Arellano says :
July 22, 2009 [ 17:04 ]

I agree with the preceding comment, if u think that there is nothing to hide, what's the problem with "international monitoring"? unless u really believe al those little towns are crowded with humalists , and then the question would be: why goverment (or apra) can´t do the same?

# Silvio Rendon says :
July 22, 2009 [ 17:11 ]

Anaya's report calls for an

"impartial, objective and exhaustive investigation",

which has not happened yet. It clearly contradicts the Peruvian government's version that there are no disappeared people and that all indigenous people returned to their communities. Anaya's report acknowledge disappearances, police brutality, killings of civilians, and several violation of due process. Far from being conclusive, hence the end, it marks the beginning of the real investigation about what happened in Bagua.

# Illary says :
July 22, 2009 [ 22:28 ]

I quote LIP, 3 July 2009:

"The Peruvian Ombudsman's report, sent to the Chancellery today, found that none civil neither Amazonian indigenous people disappeared on the events occurred in Bagua (Amazonas) on June 5th and 6th.  The report states that "as a consequence of their meticulous work the Ombudsman (Beatriz Merino) concluded that the acts of violence which occurred on June 5, 2009 in Bagua threw an unfortunate balance of 33 people dead (23 policemen, 5 natives and 5 settlers of Bagua)"...Despite reporting that none civil neither amazonian indigenous people disappeared, police officer Felipe Bazán Soles still remains missing, and has not been found."

I think that was real and impartial investigation.

   

# c.schmidt says :
July 24, 2009 [ 13:00 ]

since I wrote this mail  it seems my comments are blocked out-

# mericorps says :
July 24, 2009 [ 16:04 ]

illary,

Did you read what you cut and pasted?

It states the government said there are no police or civilians missing, then ends that there are police missing and there are still reports of civilians missing?

I guess, technically, you might be able to argue the investigation may or may not be impartial..so lets say it is impartial..

Then it is stupid as there are people missing.

# c.schmidt says :
July 25, 2009 [ 15:09 ]

How comes- since I posted to UN I have difficulties to put my thoughts in LIP. 
Is there any problem?

# Tatiana Ticona says :
August 23, 2009 [ 10:42 ]

Hi,

I just wanted to comment on what I think are some misinformed opinions posted in here. I am not sure if all foreigners posting here (I am assuming some people here are not Peruvians from their names) live in Peru or are truly aware of the conflict that is going on there between the resource extraction companies and the indigenous communities. I have read here everything from racist comments to claims that there were no indigenous victims in the Bagua massacres. To be honest, I think its is very arrogant for a foreigner to come here and claim to know it all, when clearly if you would be living in Peru you would be aware that indigenous people suffer from discrimination on a daily basis in the country. I am Peruvian, and I can say that no where in the world have I seen so much discrimination based on ethnicity as in my beloved Peru. I love my country, but I am truly ashamed of the discrimination that takes place there and on the price that the indigenous have to pay for the development of the white and mestizo middle and upper classes. It seems that we have forgetten that we are living on their land, they were the ones who were there before us, sons and daughters of spaniards, italians, etc, and therefore I ask who are we to tell them how should they use their territories? There are international treaties protecting indigenous rights, and what the Peruvian state has done is ILLEGAL, as simple as that. I am not saying that the indigenous are little saints, there are good and bad people everywhere, but it is pretty clear that in Peru they are the underdogs.
Now, on the topic of the deaths, I know as a matter of fact there have been indigenous people that have been killed. Some of them were friends of friends, some of them were just faces you can see on the alternative newspapers like this one:http://www.losandes.com.pe/. The point is there were victims, and that means that the government is not doing its job right.
I hope this situation does not repeat itself anytime soon.  

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