Owe Aku in New York Nov. 10: Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Lakotas join Amnesty International and Cultural Survival in New York
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
Download or print poster at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41451888/DIGNITY-Invitation
Owe Aku International Justice Project will participate in a panel discussion at the Zen Center in New York's Greenwich Village that is being co-hosted by Amnesty International, Cultural Survival and the Zen Center. The subject of the evening is to raise awareness of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigneous Peoples currently being "reviewed" by the State Department of the United States, one of two nations in the world to have not endorsed the Declaration. The community is invited for free - see the invitation for information and to rsvp. Owe Aku IJP looks forward to seeing a good turn out from New York's Native community.
Owe Aku International Justice Project
invited to particpate in
"DIGNITY: Rights of Indigenous People."
Wednesday November 10th from 6:30 to 9 PM
Urban Zen Center - 711 Greenwich Street
A panel discussion on the specifics of the Declaration, the importance of human rights,
and the need to preserve Indigenous wisdom and customs.
Hosted by Urban Zen and Cultural Survival
Panelists Include:
Elsa Stamatopoulou, Former Chief of the Premanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations
Larry Cox, the Executive Director from Amnesty International
Les Malezer, Native Australian of the Gabi Gabi Community, General Manager for the Foundation of Aboriginal and Islander Research Action
Kent Lebsock, Lakota, Director, Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way) International Justice Project
PLEASE NOTE: The Native and Indigenous communities are invited to attend that evening as the guests of Urban Zen and Amnesty International.
Those wishing to attend should RSVP at RSVP@urbanzen.org. For more information, a detailed schedule of events, or to register, please visit www.urbanzen.org or call 212.414.8520.

Kent Lebsock
Coordinator
Owe Aku International Justice Program
oweakuinternational@me.com

Navajo Nation Council votes to waive Colorado River rights 'Forever'

Navajo Nation Council votes to waive Colorado River rights 'Forever'

By Dine' Water Rights

More info at http://www.dinewaterrights.org/

Navajo Protest Photo by Eric Hardy

WINDOW ROCK, NAVAJO NATION — On Thursday November 4th, 2010 the outgoing Navajo Nation Council Voted 51-24 to waive Diné Water Rights to the lower Colorado River ‘Forever’. 70 people marched to the council chambers and joined others in prayer to demonstrate concerns with the proposed Northeastern Arizona Water Settlement. Concerned Citizens for Diné Water Rights affirmed their commitment to stop the settlement.
You can contact Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley & urge him to VETO the NN Council water settlement vote:
Phone: (928) 871-7000
Email: www.opvp.info/contact

Statement by Ron Milford of Concerned Citizens for Diné Water Rights, “First of all, I want to thank all the people who planned, coordinated, marched, and provided support for our people’s water rights. I also want to thank the many supporters who couldn’t make it for lack of time, gas money, and other valid reasons. We completely understand. This truly was a grassroots movement of individuals and coalitions, uniting for a common cause–the water rights of our children and future generations.

I also want to give a heartfelt thank you to the twenty-four delegates who stood their ground despite the odds, which was very, very evident yesterday at the council chamber. We will need them in our fight ahead.

Finally, I want everyone to know this is absolutely not the end. There are other options we must pursue to try and stop this settlement. The Nation Nation is a three-branch government, and the legislative council is only a third of the triangle. We now need to concentrate all our efforts on the executive office and the courts. There is also the new council of twenty-four, that I understand can recall this legislation, particularly if new persuasive evidence is presented. My hope also is the new President and VP will open speak against the settlement in support of the 24. Everyone, hang your heads high. We were admirable, and no one can take that away from us. Thank you.”

Statement by Navajo Nation Council Delegate Hope Macdonald Lonetree, “I am saddened by the passage of this legislation. I read the document and have had numerous concerns about certain language and terms of the Agreement. It is wrong to connect he need for waterlines with any irreversible waiver of our water rights. There is no funding for these proposed pipelines. Yet we just agreed to give away our water to all the coyotes who have been stealing it from our people and Nation for years. As far as I’m concerned all the waters that flow off and within the Four Sacred Mountains is ours. We should never shortchange our future generations by leaving them no tools for survival. I further disagree with approving an agreement that will change after it leaves our chambers to conform to AZ State Legislation and then again to conform to Congressional legislation. I thank the 23 other delegates who voted no on a document that was written by and for non-Navajo interests.”

US Mexico Border Women Will Hold Hunger Strike in DC

U.S.-Mexico Border Women Will Hold Hunger Strike in DC

November, 2010

Demanding Alternatives to Violence, Poverty for Long-Term Security By La Mujer Obrera View campaign video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R87ahDS8F0M

EL PASO – Ten women whose families have been impacted by the violence, poverty and unemployment engulfing the Ciudad Juarez/El Paso border region are launching a hunger strike in front of the White House at noon on Monday, November 8. They call on federal decision-makers focused on short-sighted border security initiatives to establish immediate and long-term strategies to support community-led development of the nation’s poorest region.The women, who live in El Paso and have family members on both sides of the border, are part of the nationally recognized grassroots organization, La Mujer Obrera, one of several organizations on the U.S.-Mexico border committed to long term development. Read more ... http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2010/11/us-mexico-border-women-will-hold-hunger.html

GENEVA: Peltier Case a Stain on US Human Rights Record

Contact: Delaney Bruce, Legal Team Liaison, Leonard Peltier Defense
Offense Committee, PO Box 7488, Fargo, ND 58106, USA; Telephone:
1-701-235-2206; contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info

Peltier case a stain on US human rights record
By Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

Censored News

http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

Today, the United States submitted to a review by the United Nations Human Rights Council as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), an assessment of a government’s compliance with human rights obligations.
The Council reviews each member nation every four years. This was the
United States’ first review. Representatives from the U.S. presented its report and answered questions from the Council and UN member nations.
Native Americans have eagerly awaited a sign that the U.S. has listened to their concerns about the Peltier case, but were disappointed to see no mention of it in the U.S. report.
“A good place for the U.S. to have started was to simply acknowledge that politically motivated prosecutions are a reality in the U.S.,” said a spokesperson for the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee, one of 300 human rights organizations that contributed to a stakeholders
report submitted to the Council.
An innocent man, Native American activist Leonard Peltier was wrongfully convicted in connection with the 1975 shooting deaths of two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Tried separately, his co-defendants were found not guilty by reason of self-defense.
“With no evidence whatsoever, the FBI decided to ‘lock Peltier into the case’. Government officials presented false statements to a Canadian court to extradite Peltier to the U.S. where prosecutors went judge shopping and venue hopping to secure a conviction. In a racially
charged courtroom, prosecutors lied to the judge, ignored court orders, and made inappropriate statements to the jury. They intentionally hid evidence of Peltier’s innocence and instead manufactured a ‘murder weapon’. As the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has noted, ‘these
facts are not disputed’.”
Peltier has been designated a political prisoner by Amnesty International. Various governments and dignitaries—including Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, as well as the late Mother Theresa— have called for his release.
In addition to working to win Peltier’s freedom, the LPDOC advocates for Indigenous rights, overall criminal justice reform, and the abolishment of the death penalty.
“Frankly, we consider the long-term imprisonment of Leonard Peltier in the harshest of conditions, and repeated denials of parole despite his having met all eligibility requirements, a de facto death sentence.”
Imprisoned for nearly 35 years, Peltier was denied parole in 2009.
“The guarantee of a fair trial is recognized as fundamental—not only in the U.S., but also by the signatory nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This case exemplifies how the U.S. government is willing to use its judicial system as an instrument of revenge and a tool of political repression against those who dare to criticize the domestic and foreign policies of the United States.”
Demonstrations in support of Leonard Peltier and other political prisoners occurred today at U.S. court houses and U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.
The LPDOC pledges to continue its work to hold the U.S. government accountable and see that UPR recommendations are fully implemented.
Submission to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Ninth Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) Working Group on the UPR 22 November-3 December 2010. Stakeholder Submission by the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee:
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/download/UPRSubmission.pdf

US Versus Leonard Peltier: Evidence of a Wrongful Conviction. From the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation:
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/download/CriticalFBIDocs.pdf