Oxfam: Western Shoshone Victorious at UN; US Found in Violation of HRs

[NVMojo]

Oxfam: Western Shoshone Victorious at UN; US Found in Violation of Human Rights of Native Americans, Urged to Take Immediate Action

3/10/2006 11:42:00 AM


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To: National Desk

Contact: Julie Fishel of the Western Shoshone Defense Project, 41-22-747-0000(Geneva) or 775-468-0230 (U.S.), [e-mail]; Raymond Yowell of the Western Shoshone National Council, 775-744-4381; Helen DaSilva of Oxfam America, 617-728-2409 (office) or 617-331-2984 (cell), [e-mail]

GENEVA, March 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today, in a historic and strongly worded decision by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) the United States was urged to "freeze", "desist" and "stop" actions being taken or threatened to be taken against the Western Shoshone Peoples of the Western Shoshone Nation. In its decision, CERD stressed the "nature and urgency" of the Shoshone situation informing the U.S. that it goes "well beyond" the normal reporting process and warrants immediate attention under the Committee's Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure.

This monumental action challenges the US government's assertion of federal ownership of nearly 90 percent of Western Shoshone lands. The land base covers approximately 60 million acres, stretching across what is now referred to as the states of Nevada, Idaho, Utah and California. Western Shoshone rights to the land -- which they continue to use, care for, and occupy today -- were recognized by the United States in 1863 by the Treaty of Ruby Valley. The U.S. now claims these same lands as "public" or federal lands through an agency process and has denied Western Shoshone fair access to U.S. courts through that same process. The land base has been and continues to be used by the United States for military testing, open pit cyanide heap leach gold mining and nuclear waste disposal planning. The U.S. has engaged in military style seizures of Shoshone livestock, trespass fines in the millions of dollars and ongoing armed surveillance of Western Shoshone who continue to assert their original and treaty rights.

Based upon these actions and a dramatic escalation of new actions threatening irreparable harm to Western Shoshone and their environment, last year, with the support of the Univ. of Arizona Indigenous Law and Policy Program, the Western Shoshone filed a renewed legal action at the United Nations CERD. In addition to evidence of the United States' conduct, the Western Shoshone delegation also delivered over 13,000 signatures from citizens across the United States of America supporting the Western Shoshone action to CERD. This petition was a result of a campaign organized by the rights-based development organization Oxfam America to demonstrate the widespread concern for the Western Shoshone peoples to the United Nations.

more...

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=62170

[Up2Late]

1. Excellent News!

Best of luck with this issue Western Shoshone. :kick:

[FtWayneBlue]

2. I hope something good comes from this.

Native Americans have been pushed off their land by violence for too long. The U.S. Government has broken every treaty it ever signed with them.