Wet'suwet'en Testify on Police Brutality, Imprisonment, at Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Wet'suwet'en Testify on Police Brutality, Imprisonment, at Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, July 10, 2023

Watch now on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb_MNq8Lq7w&t=1s

Chief Na’moks, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, told the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that the Hereditary Chiefs govern their land. Describing the widespread violations of human rights, Na'moks said the governments of B.C. and Canada destroyed their burial places. B.C. and Canada are issuing illegal permits on Wet'suwet'en land for pipelines. Pointing out that band council representatives are only elected for a period of time, Na'moks said, "We are hereditary chiefs for life." He said the governments of B.C. and Canada have carried out an invasion of Wet'suwet'en land. Na'Moks said he has been threatened with arrest and no longer travels alone out of concern for his safety.

Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), Wing Chief of the Cas Yikh House (Grizzly Bear House), Gidimt’en Clan, Wet’suwet’en Nation, described how she returned with her family to her homeland and the brutal arrests and imprisonment that followed as she struggled to defend the land from the destruction of Coastal GasLink Pipeline. She describes being jailed, and the racist comments of RCMP officers who arrested her. She describes the violence of militarized police and private security. Watch now, the testimony to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights just concluded.

These images were presented to the Commission during the testimony.

Screenshots by Censored News

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Wet’suwet’en described their struggle to defend their land, waters, and rights to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in a virtual hearing. Joined by Amnesty International, representatives from the Nation described the ongoing unjust criminalization and harassment of land defenders opposing the construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory. The Canadian government responded to the testimony of the Wet’suwet’en delegation. The testimony described the attacks on the Nation’s rights, including the right to free, prior and informed consent to resource-extraction projects affecting their territory, as upheld in the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The speakers include Chief Na’moks, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs; Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), Wing Chief of the Cas Yikh House (Grizzly Bear House), Gidimt’en Clan, Wet’suwet’en Nation.

These images are from the virtual testimony and include images of RCMP brutality presented to the Commission. Screenshots by Censored News.