Erity Teave
Reports from Santiago say a leading Rapa Nui activist has begun a hunger strike in the Chilean capital in protest at the latest evictions on Easter Island.
Erity Teave, who is the human rights spokesperson of the so-called Rapa Nui Parliament, has likened the president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, to a dictator after continued police actions to remove Rapa Nui from premises they claim as ancestral lands.
Mr Pinera had defended the use of special police forces, saying it was the state’s duty to uphold the law and to maintain public order.
But Ms Teave has told the Mexican news agency, Notimex, that she will be on hunger strike until she has been received by parliament to present her demands. She says her people are exposed to inconceivable repression and described the police actions as atrocities and terrorism.
Ms Teave says she expects the dispute between the Rapa Nui and the state of Chile will be resolved through the Inter American Commission of Human Rights.
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Public Declaration From The National Institute Of Human Rights in the Situation in Rapanui
as published in Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources
http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8296:rapanui-public-declaration-from-the-national-institute-of-human-rights&catid=53:south-america-indigenous-peoples&Itemid=75
Translated from Spanish, Original Below
In connection with the events of yesterday (Dec. 29) in Rapa Nui, which affect groups of native inhabitants who occupied the square in Riro Kainga in Hanga Roa several months, the National Instute of Human Rights states:
1 .- The State of Chile has ratified the ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, which is fully in force in our domestic legislation since 2009. Chile also attended the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, where he pledged to promote respect for and full application of the rights there and to ensure its effectiveness.
These international instruments, the State of Chile assumes, among others, the commitment to safeguard the right of ownership and possession of the original peoples of the lands they traditionally occupied, to establish adequate mechanisms for identification and protection, and appropriate procedures under the national legal system to resolve land claims by the peoples concerned.
2 .- The State of Chile has thus obliged to respect and ensure indigenous rights and adapt its rules and institutions embody the rules that essentially respect for the culture, institutions and ways of life of indigenous peoples and timely consultation on all matters that might affect them.
In doing so, the State of Chile has decided to give priority to the historical claims of indigenous peoples, understanding and respectful of multiculturalism, different logic to the one appeal to use force in defense alleged the rule of law, as has unfortunately occurred in Rapa Nui.
3. The lack of effective mechanisms for the restitution of ancestral lands and misuse of force constitutes a serious affront to indigenous rights, a situation which has been observed repeatedly by international human rights bodies, in particular the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, Mr. James Anaya and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
4 .- The National Institute of Human Rights deplores the excessive use of force in place of dialogue and moderation that international commitments and prudence demand, so we made a call on the Government to restore the conditions for a peaceful settlement , in harmonic terms with the obligations and standards contained in Convention 169, the UN Declaration and other relevant human rights instruments.
Spanish Original
Rapa Nui: Declaración Pública del Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos
En relación con los hechos ocurridos el día de ayer (Dec. 29) en Rapa Nui, los que afectan a grupos de habitantes originarios que ocupaban la plaza Riro Kainga en Hanga Roa desde hace varios meses, el Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos declara lo siguiente:
1.- El Estado de Chile ha ratificado el Convenio 169 de la OIT sobre pueblos Indígenas y Tribales en Países Independientes, el que se encuentra plenamente vigente en nuestro ordenamiento interno desde 2009. Además, Chile concurrió a la aprobación de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas, en donde se comprometió a promover el respeto y la plena aplicación de los derechos reconocidos ahí y a velar por su eficacia.
En estos instrumentos internacionales, el Estado de Chile asume, entre otros, el compromiso de salvaguardar el derecho de propiedad y posesión de los pueblos originarios sobre las tierras que tradicionalmente han ocupado; a establecer mecanismos adecuados para su determinación y protección, así como procedimientos apropiados en el marco del sistema jurídico nacional para solucionar las reivindicaciones de tierras formuladas por los pueblos interesados.
2.- El Estado de Chile se ha obligado con ello a respetar y asegurar los derechos indígenas y adecuar sus normas e instituciones a las normas que los consagran, esencialmente el respeto a la cultura, instituciones y formas de vida de los pueblos originarios y a la consulta oportuna sobre todas aquellas cuestiones que pudieran afectarlas.
Al hacerlo, el Estado de Chile ha decidido dar prioridad a las reivindicaciones históricas de los pueblos indígenas, comprensivos y respetuosos de la interculturalidad, lógica distinta a la sola apelación al uso de la fuerza en supuesta defensa del Estado de Derecho, como ha ocurrido lamentablemente en Rapa Nui.
3. La falta de mecanismos eficaces para la restitución de tierras ancestrales y la utilización abusiva de la fuerza constituye una grave afrenta a los derechos indígenas, situación que ha sido observada recurrentemente por organismos internacionales de Derechos Humanos , en particular por el Relator Especial de Naciones Unidas sobre la situación de los derechos humanos y libertades fundamentales de los pueblos indígenas, Sr. James Anaya y por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos.
4.- El Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos deplora el uso desmedido de la fuerza en reemplazo del diálogo y la moderación que los compromisos internacionales y la prudencia exigen, por lo que formulamos un llamado al Gobierno a reponer las condiciones para una solución pacífica del conflicto, en términos armónicos con las obligaciones y criterios contenidos en el Convenio 169, la Declaración de la ONU y los demás instrumentos de DDHH pertinentes.
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