Colombia: tens of thousands protest in the South-West

In spite of militarization, the popular uprising in Colombia is far from over. Yesterday a 10,000 strong march of Native Americans took over the city of Popayán (Cauca) blocking a major road in solidarity with the National Strike led by the small farmers.

Also it has been known that the government sent the infamous riot police squad (ESMAD) to the city of Florencia (Caquetá), also in the SW of the country, where more than 15,000 farmers have been protesting since August 19th.

Source: Webguerrillero[es] (link 1, link 2).

Honduras: three Tolupans murdered by miner mafias

Three persons of the Tolupa nation were murdered by hitmen at the service of illegal miners, foresters and constructors on August 25th at Locomapa (Yoro).

Ricardo Soto Fúnez, María Enriqueta Matute y Armando Fúnez Medina took part in a road blockade in defense of their ancestral territory.

Already in June the Tolupas denounced forester industrial Kenton Landa Úcles for the introduction of heavy machinery in the Tolupa forest.

In a similar incident, considering the total subservience of the state institutions to capitalist expoliation, soldiers murdered the member of the Lenca nation Tomas García on July 15th. 

Source: LINyM[es].

Wallmapu: Mapuche People take what is theirs

In several areas of Ngulu Mapu (Mapuche Country) the people are taking what is collectively theirs and was robbed by the imperialist Chilean state and their colonial private agents since 1880.

The recuperation includes private ranches, forest plantations and lands attributed to the state. The Chilean media has remained silent.

Source: Borroka Garaia Da![es] (incl. video).

Honduras: Native Lenca murdered by the army

Tomás García, member of COPINH (Native American association) was murdered by live fire from soldiers yesterday at Río Blanco. His son, Alan García Domínguez was injured also with bullets and has been hospitalized in critical state.

The state crimes were perpetrated while the Lenca community protested against hydroelectric projects.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Argentina: Mapuches occupy the National Institute of Indigenous Affairs

Dozens of citizens of the Mapuche Nation (arbitrarily divided between Chile and Argentina) occupied an office in the National Institute of Indigenous Affairs (INAI) in the capital Buenos Aires. Personalities like Peace Nobel Prize Fernando Pérez Esquivel, members of Mothers of May Square and Alfredo Echegoyen, co-president of the Permanent Commission for Human Rights, joined them but were kept outside the building by the authorities. 

The Mapuche community within the Argentine state borders constituted themselves according to the law as Indigenous Community in 2006, but since then the state has not done anything to make it official.

The indigenous representatives remain in the building and have asked the population to join them.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Guatemala: Ríos Montt sentenced to 80 years of prison

Ríos Montt in court

The mass murderer ex-dictator has been finally officially designed as criminal against Humankind and put behind bars.

The First Tribunal A of Greatest Risk declared retired general José Efraín Ríos Montt guilty of the crime of genocide (50 years) and crimes against Humankind (30 years) for the massacres committed against the Ixil People. 

However José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez, former commander of military intelligence accused of the same crimes, was acquitted, on the grounds of lacking evidence that he had any influence on the operations area.

Judge Jazmín Barrios declared:

We the judges consider that the behavior of the accused Ríos Montt fits within the crime of genocide in quality of author, therefore the corresponding penalty must apply. We the judges are completely persuaded of the intention of physical destruction of the Ixil area. 

Edgar Pérez, of Justice and Reconciliation Association (AJR), explained that:

Under the rule of Ríos Montt part of the Ixil people was displaced towards the mountains, another part was relocated under concentration camp conditions in the so-called "model villages" and a third part was massacred.

The extermination campaign killed 33.61% of the Ixil ethnicity, what demonstrates that there was clear intention of destroying this ethnic group.

After the sentence was read, Judge Barrios decreed that Ríos Montt be interned in prison with immediate effect, removing all benefits of restricted freedom that the dictator enjoyed until yesterday.

Honduras: month-long road blockade against hydro project

For more than 30 days, the popular resistance to the hydroelectric project Agua Zarca, financed by the World Bank, in the river Gualcarque, sacred for the Lenca people.

Gathered Around their mayor, Orlando Hernández Bautista, who has been persecuted at court by DESA and SINOHYDRO (an imperialist Chinese corporation), the People of Zacapa has risen against the capitalist imposition, in defense of water and environment and in solidarity with their Lenca brothers and sisters, taking over the lands assigned for the construction of the destructive energy project. 

Sources[es]: LINyM, COPINH.