11 August 2010 | Interviews | Human rights
In its right place
Indigenous leaders stage sit-in inside Costa Rican Parliament to demand recognition of their rights
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Twenty indigenous leaders gave a press conference yesterday and decided to stay in the Costa Rican Parliament until they obtain a real commitment from the Costa Rican lawmakers to move forward in the legal recognition of the native cultures. We interviewed Sergio Rojas, indigenous leader of the Salitre territory.
He explained that the indigenous peoples in Costa Rica have put up with the lies for over fifteen years, during the successive governments that promised they would pass the autonomy law, thus complying with the international conventions signed by the country.
Tired of the delays, the indigenous peoples decided to file an international lawsuit against the State when the Costa Rican President, Laura Chinchilla, showed signs of disapproval of the law.
The President excluded the law of indigenous autonomy from her government’s legislative priorities, said Rojas.
After the press conference to mark the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, nearly twenty leaders decided to stay in the Parliament building until they get a commitment from the Costa Rican political system.
Photo: www.revista_amauta.org
