PUYO, ECUADOR – More than 200 indigenous Waorani people and their supporters marched to the court in the Amazon city of Puyo on Thursday to begin their high-stakes hearing against the Ecuadorian government. After long protesting oil extraction in its territory, the community are suing three government bodies – the Ministry of Energy and Non-renewableContinueContinue reading “Indigenous Waorani sue Ecuadorian government over land rights (Al Jazeera)”
Tag Archives: human rights
Indigenous Organizers Halted Plans for Oil Drilling in the Amazon (In These Times)
PUYO, ECUADOR—Rosa Elvira Chuji Gualingai, 50, came to the city to pressure the government. Watching the traffic outside her office window, she says, “I can’t get used to this lifestyle.” The indigenous activist, leader of the Shiwiar community of Kurintsa, was raised deep in the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by towering ceibo and palm trees. WithContinueContinue reading “Indigenous Organizers Halted Plans for Oil Drilling in the Amazon (In These Times)”
Venezuelans flee violence in Ecuador (New Internationalist)
QUITO, ECUADOR – Ricardo Perez says he feels scared walking down the streets of Quito these days. He can’t wait to get back to his home in Venezuela. The 24-year-old migrant says he has long received dirty looks, been called names for being Venezuelan, and told to go home. Tensions hit a peak last weekContinueContinue reading “Venezuelans flee violence in Ecuador (New Internationalist)”
Time to shift focus to existing environmental laws, says new UN report (Mongabay)
QUITO, ECUADOR – The most important thing we can do to address climate change isn’t to create new regulations, but ensure that countries comply with the regulations that already exist. That’s according to the first ever report on environmental policies worldwide, released by the UN on Jan. 24. The report concludes that environmental concerns haveContinueContinue reading “Time to shift focus to existing environmental laws, says new UN report (Mongabay)”
Rock icon Roger Waters denounces Chevron in Ecuador (Mongabay)
QUITO, ECUADOR – Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters took a break from his South America-Mexico tour on Tuesday to visit Ecuador and denounce oil giant Chevron Texaco. Rogers said he wanted to draw attention to cleanup in the Amazon Rainforest the company was ordered to carry out by a judge in Ecuador, who alsoContinueContinue reading “Rock icon Roger Waters denounces Chevron in Ecuador (Mongabay)”
Colombia’s New Killing Spree (The Progressive)
SANTANDER de QUILICHAO, COLOMBIA – In June, Clemencia Carabali received her first death threat this year. She was in her office planning workshops for the local community, when an unknown man called her personal phone and told her she had until 5 p.m. that day to leave the territory, or be killed. Then he hungContinueContinue reading “Colombia’s New Killing Spree (The Progressive)”
Live News Spot. Ecuador’s new policy for Venezuelans crossing the border (TRT World)
My first live TV news spot. I spoke with TRT World about Ecuador enforcing their new policy for Venezuelans trying to cross the border, now requiring their passports. This was put into effect Saturday, Aug 18 and is going to make things a whole lot worse for a lot of people before it makes thingsContinueContinue reading “Live News Spot. Ecuador’s new policy for Venezuelans crossing the border (TRT World)”
Community vs. company: A tiny town in Ecuador battles a palm oil giant (Mongabay)
WIMBI, ECUADOR – When Yessenia Padilla heard that her community crops were being destroyed, she and about 70 of her neighbors rushed out to intervene. They grabbed large boards, rocks, the machetes they use to harvest their fields, and took off yelling. She said that when they arrived, they saw workers from the oil palmContinueContinue reading “Community vs. company: A tiny town in Ecuador battles a palm oil giant (Mongabay)”
When the “Cure” for Homosexuality Is Torture (In These Times)
QUITO, ECUADOR – When Donato Sanchez, a transgender man, walked into a “gay rehab” clinic for the first time, he didn’t know he was going to stay. His father had convinced him to “check out the facilities,” nothing more. Sanchez had been told that if he chose to enter the clinic, it would “be ofContinueContinue reading “When the “Cure” for Homosexuality Is Torture (In These Times)”
Three journalists are kidnapped in Ecuador, signaling the violence spilling over from Colombia (The Washington Post)
QUITO, ECUADOR — Every night since March 26, when three Ecuadoran journalists were kidnapped near their country’s border with Colombia, their colleagues have gathered to demand their rescue. “We’re missing three! We want them back alive!” they have shouted while protesting in front of the presidential palace in the capital, Quito. The kidnappings of JavierContinueContinue reading “Three journalists are kidnapped in Ecuador, signaling the violence spilling over from Colombia (The Washington Post)”
Kimberley Michelle Brown 