Rights of indigenous peoples The rights of indigenous peoples became the subject of discussion on an international level in the early 1970s. The Fourth Russell Tribunal was one of the major conferences in this framework. The members of the jury met in the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in November, 1980, to consider alleged violations of the rights of the Indians in the Americas. Of the 47 cases submitted to the tribunal, 14 were accepted for presentation by witnesses, experts, and documentation. Many other documents and statements were presented as well, including some by indigenous peoples of other continents. More than 100 representatives of indigenous organisations participated in the sessions of the tribunal, coming from as far away as Bolivia, Canada, and New Zealand. Among them were Indian Chiefs, priests, lawyers and anthropologists. On Sunday, November 30th, the jury reached the conclusion that in most of the cases national and international law had been violated. Recommendations were made to governments, international agencies, and religious groups. Testimony against ethnocidal oppression The aim of the tribunal was to serve as a forum for testimony against ethnocidal oppression and for the free expression of the will to struggle against those powers that still wish to destroy the authentic character of the oldest cultures of the Americas. That the Tribunals goal was achieved, is shown by the many references to it in newspaper articles and publications all over the world as well as in reports of United Nations meetings and other international conferences. A complete account of the sessions of the tribunal was published in April, 1981 (a 7-volume report comprising about 1,400 pages), and includes all cases, some annexes to the cases, testimonies, statements, and conclusions.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 09:21:35 +0000
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