We recognize the great risks that environmental defenders take to stand up to power, and understand that the collection of visual evidence is only one strategy communities use to protect their environmental human rights. We hope to support this resistance by sharing the Video as Evidence Environmental Defense Guide throughout the coming months via our global campaign that amplifies the calls for Earth Justice. Join us by re-posting our materials or retweeting us using the hashtag: #Video4Earth. 

Read from the full blog post by Dalila Mujagic and Meghana Bahar.

DETAILS

Join us on Tuesday, November 20, from 3-5 p.m. for a special training on how to use video as evidence in court to fight for indigenous rights.

This training is part of the World Indigenous Law Conference that brings together lawyers, judges, academics, Knowledge Keepers, policy experts, community leadership, community advocates, and students to talk about the implementation of Indigenous Law into western contemporary legal systems and highlight Indigenous Laws that already exist in Indigenous communities and Nations.

The training will take place at the Waterfront Ballroom at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada.

For more on our Video as Evidence work, click here.

We will cover:

– Overview of Video Advocacy Methodology

– Best Practices for Filming for Advocacy & Evidence

– Basic Digital Security Tips

– Mobile Equipment Recommendations

If you’re interested in learning how to use video to raise awareness, share important stories, or document violations against Indigenous peoples and territories, this will be a great introductory workshop!

For more details on the event, and to RSVP, click here.

The Mexican constitution guarantees that indigenous communities will be asked about how their land can be developed or used. As the community built a legal challenge to the mining contract, the government tried to argue that they weren’t, in fact, an indigenous community and therefore had no right to protest the arrangement.

For the past five years, WITNESS has been working with the Júba Wajiín community to tell their story and defend their land. We helped create videos including “Júba Wajiín: Resistance in the Mountain of Guerrero,” supporting their land rights case. One of the videos targeted the Supreme Court judge overseeing the case. It focused on proving that the Júba Wajiín were, in fact, indigenous people since that was being contested by the government. Scenes included in the video showed traditional lifestyle, farming, native languages, and customs. And we helped them show how mining would destroy their land and livelihoods.

The video was a crucial part of the Júba Wajiín’s biggest victory in July 2017, when the federal court ruled the Mexican state has a constitutional obligation to respect indigenous land rights, and that mining operations could not continue without the community’s input. An ally noted that the ruling is an “unprecedented achievement” for indigenous land rights activists working against open-pit mining, adding that, for the first time, the Ministry of Economy “must comply with its constitutional and conventional obligations regarding the rights of indigenous peoples” when considering mining rights.

After the historic ruling in 2017, the Ministry of Economy appealed the decision. The appeal currently rests in the hands of the Circuit Court in Acapulco, Guerrero state’s capital. In order to highlight the importance of this case and make sure that the Júba Wajiín secure justice, WITNESS and Valerio Amado Mauro, President of Communal Property of Júba Wajiín screened the documentary at a film festival organized and hosted by the Mexican Supreme Court. At the screening, the community’s lawyer called upon the Court to bring about a final resolution to the case.

With this collective effort, WITNESS helped ensure that the voices of the Júba Wajiín were heard by Mexico’s highest court, by lawmakers, fellow citizens and grassroots activists. It also paves the way for many other indigenous communities who might want or need to use video protect and defend their rights and their land against extractive industries and government interests.

Since 2010, there have been more than 120 documented cases of activists murdered for standing up to the government and companies who steal land and destroy the environment. Berta Cáceres –  world-renowned Honduran Indigenous leader, environmental activist, and recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize – was assassinated March 2, 2016. Despite these atrocious violations of human rights, the US continues to provide security assistance to the Honduran government.

WITNESS is committed to building the capacity of activists and organizers defending their rights and demanding accountability from those who oppress them. We stand with indigenous communities and individuals who continue in those efforts despite continued threats.

We urge you to join us and others in endorsing The Berta Cáceres Act today! Individuals can also call and ask their representatives to co-sponsor this legislation. If you don’t know your representative’s number, you can call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224- 3121 and ask to be connected to your representative’s office. Once connected, ask to speak with or leave a message with your representative’s Latin America policy aide. You can also find a script example at the bottom of the page.

Without international pressure from us, this situation is unlikely to change.

WITNESS joins the international condemnation of the murder of Honduran human rights defender Berta Cáceres on March 3, 2016 and demands an expeditious and thorough investigation so that these acts do not go unpunished. We also call for the protection of Gustavo Castro Soto, a Mexican human rights defender who was injured during the events, as well as all human rights defenders in Honduras and across Mesoamerica.

Berta dedicated her life to defending the land, territory and natural resources of indigenous peoples and served as the founder and coordinator of the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). In 2015, she won the Goldman Prize for her tireless work as an environmental advocate. In recent weeks, harassment against Berta, COPINH and supporting communities had escalated. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) had granted precautionary measures for Berta following threats she received after supporting indigenous Lenca communities in Rio Blanco who are defending their land against the construction of the Agua Zarca Hydroelectric Project. On February 25, another Lenca community supported by COPINH was violently evicted and destroyed.

Gustavo Castro Soto is a Mexican activist and member of the organization Otros Mundos Chiapas/Friends of the Earth Mexico, the Mexican Network of People Affected by Mining (REMA) and the Mesoamerican Movement against the Extractive Mining Model (M4). Gustavo has also dedicated his life to supporting communities in Central America and organizing peaceful resistance to the imposition of neoliberal projects. WITNESS has had the opportunity to see his committed work on forced evictions and environmental rights. Gustavo was staying at Berta’s home and was wounded during the early morning attack on March 3rd, becoming a key figure for the investigation. Therefore, urgent action is needed to push Honduras and Mexico to protect his life and physical integrity.

This unfortunate crime adds to the escalating violence against human rights defenders in Mesoamerica and will have a profound impact on organizations and communities in Honduras and the region. WITNESS stands with the families, organizations, and communities close to Berta and Gustavo. We reiterate our strong condemnation and call for Honduras to immediately conduct a thorough investigation into the case and protect Gustavo and the human rights of COPINH members and affected communities.

We urge you to take action and add your voice to the call for the safety and protection of Gustavo Castro.

Update – March 8th press release from Otros Mundos.

By Laura Salas, Translated by Jackie Zammuto
Image: 2015 Goldman Environmental Award