Thursday, May 15, 2003

Amnesty & Indigenous Rights QUOTE OF THE DAY `We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others." - - Will Rogers (Cherokee) MAY 15th IN HISTORY: 1971 - - Native American Rights Fund files suit on behalf of the Hopi Nation to prevent strip mining on sacred Black Mesa, Arizona. Dispute over access to Black Mesa deposits eventually leads to Big Mountain forced relocation of thousands of Navajo. Lives are devastated. People die. RHINO HERE: The folks from Amnesty International are working hard on many fronts. Being a moviemaker (don't call me a filmmaker - they all work for kodak stuffing celluloid into tin cans) & focusing on Indigenous rights, I'm especially interested in 2 of their campaigns. The first is a report issued this week entitled:                                          Amnesty International:                       Indigenous Peoples' Human Rights Long Denied                    New Report Cites Ongoing Human Rights Abuses of                                     Indigenous Groups in the Americas Amnesty has issued a press release on this report which is RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE. There's also info on how to get a copy of the report. Then there's the Amnesty International Film Festival which travels cross country through the year. It begins in Los Angeles, Wednesday, May 28 at the DGA Theater (Directors Guild of America). The Opening Night Event is a special archive presentation of Roland Joffé's Academy Award Winning film, "The Killing Fields". It's a stunning historical drama based on actual events, and though nearly 20 years old, remains just as relevant-if not more so-today. The Opening Night Event will feature a celebrity-hosted introduction including Director Roland Joffé and a brief program recognizing outstanding achievement in human rights-related programming in the film industry. ADVANCE RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR OPENING NIGHT. RSVP TO: 310-815-0450 or aiusala@aiusa.org FOR THE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE & FILM DESCRIPTIONS, GO TO: http://www.amnestyusa.org/filmfest/weho/2003/ MORE ON THE AMNESTY FILM FESTIVAL INCLUDING DATES IN OTHER CITIES, GO TO: http://www.amnestyusa.org/filmfest/ Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues The second meeting of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is currently taking place until May 23 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The theme for this second session is on "Indigenous Children and Youth". The members of the Permanent Forum have chosen this theme in order to focus the attention on the survival of indigenous peoples. That it is the physical and mental health of indigenous children who will ensure the survival growth and prosperity of the peoples from whom they come. Without ensuring that they are appropriately educated in their indigenous languages, cultures and values with indigenous pedagogy as the basis of their learning, indigenous peoples and their unique and precious cultures will not survive in this globalized world. Essentially, if that is not fostered and nurtured all existing cultures and peoples loose something precious. FOR FULL INFO ON Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/pfii/ FOR DETAILS ON THE 2ND MEETING GOING ON NOW IN NEW YORK CITY, GO TO: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/pfii/pfii2.htm 7:16:56 AM    comment

RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE - Indigenous Rights are Human Rights: Four Cases of Rights Violations in the Americas FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:             CONTACT: Reah Johnson May 14, 2003                                     (202) 544-0200 x 302      Amnesty International: Indigenous Peoples' Human Rights Long Denied                New Report Cites Ongoing Human Rights Abuses of                     Indigenous Groups in the Americas (New York) - Amnesty International today charged in a new report that Indigenous populations throughout the Americas continue to suffer grave human rights violations despite increasing international efforts to protect their rights. Release of the report, Indigenous Rights are Human Rights: Four Cases of Rights Violations in the Americas, coincides with the second session of the United Nation's Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, to which Amnesty International is an accredited observer. "There are Indigenous groups that have endured human rights abuses such as mass killings and the denial of life-sustaining resources for more than 500 years," said William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA). "The disconnect between awareness and action over the protection of Indigenous rights is more than tragic - it's inexcusable." The four urgent cases highlighted in the report address human rights issues affecting the Lubicon Cree of Canada, the Western Shoshone of the United States, Indigenous communities including Q'eqchi' and Mayan populations of Guatemala, and native Indians of Brazil. Each circumstance illustrates a pattern of ongoing abuse in which governments not only fail to protect the rights of Indigenous populations but often take a complaisant or even active role in their suppression. Amnesty International is particularly concerned about recent developments indicating an escalation of Indigenous human rights abuses. Brazil, where human rights of native populations are closely tied to land disputes and racial prejudice, this year has witnessed an alarming increase in attacks and killings among the Indigenous population. In January, a 72-year-old leader of the Guarani-kaiová community was beaten to death in a confrontation with landowners in western Brazil. As in many countries, the perpetrators of such killings often act with impunity, as governments appear to prioritize and pit economic and political interests against the rights of Indigenous peoples. Amnesty International is urging its activists to take appropriate action as outlined in the report. People are encouraged to write letters to government authorities based on specific recommendations that follow each case example. "Despite the dismal state of Indigenous rights, human rights activists can find inspiration in some recent developments," said Folabi Olagbaju, Director of AIUSA's Human Rights and the Environment Program. "In the last two decades, Indigenous communities and their leaders have become increasingly involved in the shaping of major international treaties and movements designed to safeguard their rights." "We cannot continue to let history provide the rubric for Indigenous rights," warned Schulz. "Amnesty International calls on governments around the world to uphold their obligations under international laws to respect and promote the full spectrum of human rights accorded Indigenous peoples." For a copy of the report, Indigenous Rights are Human Rights: Four Cases of Rights Violations in the Americas, please contact Reah Johnson at rjohnson@aiusa.org THIS PRESS RELEASE POSTED AT: http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/2003/usa05142003.html "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES / SURF RHINO'S LINKS, AT: http://www.rhinosblog.info RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. 6:33:05 AM    comment

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