AMERICA/PARAGUAY - The Bishops in defense of indigenous people appeal to the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights

Salto del Guairá (Agenzia Fides) - The Episcopal Conference of Paraguay, through the Indigenous Pastoral, has announced that it will appeal to the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights if the State does not ensure the indigenous communities Y'apo Ava- Guaranì its territory.
According to a note sent to Agenzia Fides, on November 5, at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference, the secretary of the Indigenous Pastoral, Raquel Peralta, read out a statement by the Bishops of Paraguay in which the great concern of the Bishops is expressed for the ruling delivered in Ciudad de Salto del Guairá, which orders the eviction of the Y'apo Ava-Guarani indigenous community from the district of Corpus Christi.
"We are concerned that this ruling violates the rights of indigenous communities to live in their ancestral lands, well protected by the law, the Constitution, international conventions, and other provisions of law. We are also concerned about the serious consequences of such measures on their culture and their survival as a people", say the Bishops in the statement.
The secretary of the Indigenous Pastoral, Raquel Peralta, said that if the judgment is not amended, the community and the Church will appeal to the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights. In June there had been clashes due to the violent intervention of the security service of the Lagoon Company SA against the indigenous, causing one death and several injuries. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 07/11/2014)