San Jose, July 06, 2011. “I am the son of a people whose rights have been violated, I am the brother of women and men who have been persecuted just for asking for the right to live in peace” Marlon Santi.
With an emotional testimony from Marlon Santi, former president of CONAIE and one of the Sarayaku leaders who testified today before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the first day of the so-called "Trial of Dignity" closed. "We want them to let us live in peace," Santi ended by pointing out.
At the time, Don Sabino Gualinga, spiritual leader of Sarayaku, 89 years old, explained to the Court the catastrophic effects that the incursion of the Argentine oil company CGC had in his sacred jungle. Before a question from Judge Manuel Ventura, Don Sabino clarified that in his worldview the jungle is alive and inhabited by spiritual beings that maintain the balance between humans and Nature. "We don't want those who want to blow up their entrails with explosives to enter our land," he said, because that would mean that the beings that care for the jungle leave and great evils come to the world, such as diseases and cataclysms.
Sarayaku claims the Ecuadorian State for having allowed the entry of an oil company into its territory without being informed, consulted or asked for its consent. Between 2002 and 2003, the CGC oil company left an amount close to one and a half tons of explosives planted and scattered in an area of 16,000 hectares of the Sarayaku territory.
For her part, Ena Santi, who testified with her two-month-old son in her arms, asked the Court “to tell the governments of our country to respect us, I also ask them to remove from our territory that explosive that has caused so much damage to us. made".
Sarayaku's lawyer, Mario Melo, from the Ecuadorian organization Fundación Pachamama, said "this first day has been very important because the testimonies of the victims have allowed the Inter-American Court to appreciate the seriousness of the damage caused by the unconsulted, violent and against their will, from the oil company in their territory.”
The Sarayaku People were also represented by Viviana Kristicevik from the regional organization CEJIL, who stated “The Sarayaku people once again demonstrated their courage and dignity by testifying before the Inter-American Court. We are very pleased with the performance of the leaders and members of the community who testified today.”
Tomorrow, Thursday, July 7, the hearing is scheduled to continue with the presentation of expert witness James Anaya, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, expert Anthropologist Rodrigo Villagra, and State witness Colonel Oscar Troya. The parties will then make their closing arguments.
More information: José Gualinga, President of Sarayaku (tayjasaruta@sarayaku.com)
Mario Santi, 083068367
