Caracas, May 10, 2019.
On the occasion of the annual session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), Justice International delivered an alert letter reporting on the serious human rights situation that comes Confronting the Pemón indigenous community in Venezuela.
"Given the mandate of the Permanent forum to examine indigenous issues in the context of ECOSOC attributions, inter alia, to human rights, we request the Chairperson of the Forum and the indigenous rights Rapporteur to provide a Space during the sessions of the event to raise awareness of the acts of violence and repression that have been the subject of the Pemón community in Venezuela. The permanent forum should be pronounced on this serious situation, "said Carlos Suárez Giménez, director of Justice International.
The alert letter included a detailed description of the events that occurred on the weekend of 22 to 24 February in Venezuela, when clashes between military and indigenous Pemon left a balance of four dead and dozens of wounded among members of the indigenous community to which we have made reference. The event occurred on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border during an operation to enter humanitarian aid from the neighboring country.
Recently, at the request of the Venezuelan Penal Forum, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted precautionary measures for the Pemón community. Similarly, the working groups and special rapporteurs of the special procedures Mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council published a special report entitled "Venezuela: UN experts condemn widespread violations of Rights denounced during protests ". The report reports that "indigenous communities have suffered from the authorities a series of injuries and deaths allegedly resulting from the use of real ammunition by the Bolivarian National Guard in Kumarakapay and Santa Elena de Uairén."
Both the precautionary measure and the report of the Special Rapporteurs were annexed to the alert letter sent to the Permanent forum, which is one of the three United Nations mechanisms devoted to the affairs of Indigenous peoples, together with the "mechanism Of experts "and the" Special Rapporteur ", said to conclude the graduate Aura Tovar, activist of the indigenous cause and collaborator of the NGO Justice International on the matter.
This alert letter was sent prior to the 18 ° session of the Permanent Forum held from 22 April to 3 May. The letter was addressed to the graduates Victoria Tauli, human rights Rapporteur of the indigenous peoples and Mariam Wallet, President of the Permanent Forum.
Media disseminating information:
1. Caraota Digital: http://www.caraotadigital.net/internacionales/justice-international-pemones-onu/
2. Correo del Caroní: http://correodelcaroni.com/index.php/ciudad/region/1972-justice-international-alerta-a-naciones-unidas-por-violaciones-de-dd-hh-de-pemones
3. Crónica uno: http://cronica.uno/justice-international-emitio-una-alerta-sobre-la-situacion-de-los-indigenas-pemones/
4. El Impulso: https://www.elimpulso.com/2019/05/10/foro-permanente-de-las-cuestiones-indigenas-10may/amp/