Sacred Natural Sites Interview

Sacred Natural Sites "IN Perspective": Indigenous Community Lawyer from South Africa from Sacred Natural Sites on Vimeo.

Natural Justice's Lesle Jansen has been featured in a new Sacred Natural Sites series of interviews with custodians, indigenous peoples, scientists, conservationists, protected area managers and others on "What is a Sacred Natural Site and why is it important to you?" Her interview discusses the sacred sites of the Khoi and San communities of South Africa and can be accessed above or directly here. More interviews from the interview series can be accessed here.

IACHR Victory for Sarayaku Community

Sarayaku President José Gualinga via amnesty.org

Indigenous peoples claimed a major victory when the Inter-American Court on Human Rights ruled in favour of the Sarayaku community of Ecuador in Sarayaku v Ecuador. The ruling is the culmination of a decade long process by the community and their legal representatives, Mario Melo and the Centre for Justice and International Law. 

The case was launched when the Ecuadorian government decided to allow a foreign oil company to encroach upon the land of the Sarayaku community without permission from the community. The court found that the government had violated the community’s right to consultation, to their property and cultural identity, and to their safety as the company had placed over 1,400 kg of explosives in their territory. 

Sarayaku leader José Gualinga said, “the Sarayaku are extremely satisfied with this victory, reached thanks to the efforts of our people and the help and solidarity of organizations devoted to the rights of Indigenous Peoples”. Fernanda Doz Costa of Amnesty International said “this sentence will have a far-reaching effect on countries across the region – it makes it crystal clear that states bear a responsibility to carry out special consultation processes before engaging in development projects affecting Indigenous Peoples and their rights.” 

Read more about the case here.

Siu Community Petition on Lamu Land

The Siu community in Lamu, Kenya, have taken the step of developing and signing a petition, presented to the Kenyan National Assembly on 21 June 2012, on the irregular allocation of land in Lamu. 

The petition, signed by 294 members of the Lamu community states: 

"We, the undersigned citizens of Kenya who are residents of Siu Town in Lamu and squatters, draw the attention of the House to the following: 

That aware that a committee with a membership of seven people was established in Lamu; whereas the committee was created to facilitate land re-settlement of all landless people in the area, on the contrary, the committee has allocated most of the land to members themselves, their family members, relatives and friends as well as foreigners at the expense of more than 300 residents who are landless; 

whereas the committee was to facilitate the landless to be resettled, there has emerged an agency operating for rich people from Lamu and other areas willing to buy land from the region at some fee;

whereas the land from Kwang’ombe Area which is within Siu Location was allocated to Rasini residents of Faza Locations and such complaints were made to the office concerned, but nothing has been done to date. 

Therefore, your humble petitioners pray that Parliament and the Committee concerned, investigates the matter with a view to establishing genuine squatters and issuance of title deeds in an equitable manner to the residents and cancellation of all title deeds which have been irregularly issued and your petitioners will ever pray." 

Submission of the petition encouraged discussion within the Assembly, with recognition by members that the people of Lamu need protection from land speculators.