Human Rights Action Update Dec. 10-17

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

We wish all our Jewish readers a Happy Hannuka.

EMBASSY FINDER Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming.

When the loggers invaded our land, the uncontacted people disappeared from the forest. Now we have expelled the loggers and the Indians are returning. The oil company will force them to flee once again….’

This week we focus on  the Matses people of Peru. Please open the link, read about what is going on with these people and take a few steps on their behalf. At the bottom there are two action links. In 2012, Canadian oil company Pacific Rubiales began to explore for oil on land inhabited by the Matsés and neighboring uncontacted Indians. You can click to send this  corporation an email. The other is a letter to the President of Peru. Please help.

TURKEY  

Conscientious objector imprisoned: Haluk Selam Tufanlı has been imprisoned in North Cyprus for objecting to military service. Conscientious objection is a basic human right. Please act.

INDIA 

URGENT ACTION ADIVASI VILLAGERS ALLEGEDLY BEATEN BY POLICE 

Adivasi villagers in Chhattisgarh, central India, fear further repercussions by the authorities after allegations by 25 people that they were beaten by police while protesting the arrests of other villagers on 26 November. Several people have been hospitalized with serious injuries, and the police have refused to register an official complaint. Since 2005, a number of social and political activists and human rights defenders in central India have faced false charges and imprisonment for highlighting the human rights situation in the region. This has gone on for too long. Please raise your voice in protest.

PHILIPPINES 

The Hongkong campaign is now closed, but your attention is called to the fact that in the Philippines, Rolando Pango, a full time organizer with the Partido Manggagawa (PM) was gunned down in Binalbagan town in Negros Occidental on November 29, 2014. Please join the call for an investigation of this murder.