[GPCA Updates] GP RELEASE Global Greens condemn violence in Peru]

[Green Party of California Updates]

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Monday, June 22, 2009



Global Greens condemn violence in Peru, seek an independent
investigation of police actions at protests against land grab for
oil drilling

• Statement of the Global Green Coordination, forwarded by the Green
Party of the United States


WASHINGTON, DC -- The following statement was issued by the Global
Green Coordination on June 15.  The Global Greens
(http://www.globalgreens.org) is the international network of Green
parties and political movements, founded in 2001 at the First Global
Greens Congress, in Canberra, Australia.  The Green Party of the
United States is a member of the Global Greens.

Global Greens Condemn Violence in Peru
http://www.globalgreens.org/statements/peru

The Global Green Coordination has called for an independent
investigation into the actions of police in the Amazonian region of
Peru which resulted in at least 50 deaths. After the violence near
the town of Bagua Grande, hundreds more people, mainly indigenous
people, are missing and it is alleged that police have hidden
hundreds of bodies. Indigenous people were protesting against new
legislation which will mean their land can be exploited for oil and
gas drilling.

We call on the government of President Alan Garcia to immediately
stop all police actions against demonstrations by indigenous people.
We also urge the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to launch
an independent investigation into the violence, just as it did after
similar violence in Bolivia earlier this year. In that instance,
UNASUR played a very important role in calming an extremely volatile
situation and they could do so again in this case. It is also vital
that the Peruvian authorities allow human rights organisations free
access to the area where the clashes took place, so that a thorough
assessment of what happened can be made.

The Global Greens also call on the international community to put
all the pressure it can on the Peruvian Government so that it stops
police violence against indigenous protesters and launches a
thorough and independent investigation into the causes of the violence.

An important element of the pressure which could be brought to bear
on Peru is related to trade agreements: the change in legislation
the indigenous protested against is necessary following the
stipulations in the recent Free Trade Agreement between Peru and the
USA. The Commercial Agreement the EU is currently negotiating with
with Peru, Colombia and Ecuador contains very similar provisions,
and partly goes beyond US demands. Therefore, a radical change of
the EU negotiations is necessary as a first step we call on the
European Commission and Council to suspend negotiations on a Free
Trade Agreement with Peru (as well as Ecuador and Colombia) until an
independent investigation has reached its conclusions and the people
responsible for the violence have been tried and, if found guilty,
been sentenced to punishment. The suspension should provide the time
necessary to reorientate the contents of the negotiations, so that a
future agreement protects people
  and the environment rather then exploit them.


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
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Fax 202-319-7193
• Tally of Green election victories
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html
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• Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections

Global Greens http://www.globalgreens.org

International Committee of the Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org/committees/intl

2009 Annual National Meeting of the Green Party, Durham, NC, July
23-26 http://www.gp.org/2009-ANM
• Media credentialing page http://www.gp.org/forms/media

Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1
The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United
States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog


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