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13 January 2010 | |

Family farmers evicted from their land

Peasants demand recognition of their land rights and end to logging and the atrocities in the North of Argentina

length: 2:02 minutes
Download: MP3 (1.4 Mb)

Family farmers from Palma Sola, to the east of Jujuy province report that KRAM S.A. corporation took over lands of Mamani family by force, to log the area and plant soy. During the eviction, Gloria Mamani, a 80 year-old peasant, was beaten.

Juan, the son of Gloria and Agustín Mamani, fired a shot in the air to dissuade KRAM’s employees. The police "instead of defending the lawful owners of the land", arrested the Mamanis accusing them of using weapons to defend their lands.

"They killed our animals, they shot them[...], they disposed of the whole ranch of cattle, horses and goats, the pigs, they shot everything. They poison our water, we don’t have drinking water" said Gloria Mamani, the granddaughter of the peasants who were assaulted.

«We are trying to organize to see how we can stop them, because they keep coming after they hit my grandmother, my grandfather and my uncle", she said.

The son of the Mamani’s was detained for 4 days while the rest of the family was released a day after the incidents. The eviction took place on December 30th of 2009, 5km from Palma Sola, a town in Santa Barbara department.

Besides, the Mamanis said the territorial ordering plan after the passing of the native forests act in Argentina was "irregular". The law aims to stop the advance of the cattle and agriculture border.

Finally they accused the Bureau of Environmental Policies and Natural Resources of approving a logging area of 1,000 hectares "without holding public hearings demanded by the environmental laws".

"There was no participation of important actors of the territory nor of the peasant and indigenous communities", the residents of Palma Sola explained.

"Justice does not work for the poor unfortunately. It is painful to say it, but it does not exist. What is left here is the politics and the money", said Gloria.

Photo: http://kual.com.ar/

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