Equipo Nizkor - Resolution of the Guaraní organizations of the Department of Tarija sanctioning those who have sought to usurp indigenous jurisdiction.

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15Jan15

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Resolution of the Guaraní organizations of the Department of Tarija sanctioning those who have sought to usurp indigenous jurisdiction

Since 2014 a plan has been implemented (using as a pretext the Arete Guazu Law) to supplant the legitimate Guaraní authorities, lawfully established by Uses and Customs.
This plan has affected all the Guaraní organizations of the Department of Tarija, including the APG Yacuiba, APG Carapari, APG Villamontes, APG Itika Guasu and APG Bermejo, all of which form part of the CCGT.
In the case of the APG Itika Guasu this plan to break up the Guarani organizations of the Department of Tarija began with the actions of the brothers Hugo and Rene Arebayo who were already the subjects of a sanction according to uses and customs dated 5^th October 2012.
These men who are in the pay of and collaborate with the Sectional Executive Walter Ferrufino Gaite and the then Assemblyman who represented the Guaraní people Justino Zambrana - sanctioned according to indigenous law on 11^th July 2014-, dedicated themselves to an initiative to repudiate the authorities of the APG IG elected by uses and customs and even managed to build an alleged board on 31^st May 2014. This supposed board was able to form a legal facade using forged documents, with the necessary complicity of the Public Notary of 2^nd Class of Entre Rios who, on August 12^th, 2014, granted powers to these individuals in a move to legalise the falsified indigenous representation. In addition, with the intentional collaboration of the Public Notary of Villamontes, the same individuals established a purported departmental organization.
All these actions had a clear objective of dismantling the Guaraní forms of organization in the Department of Tarija and replacing their legitimate representatives with individuals whose past and present pattern of conduct is marked by the violation of uses and customs and who are solely in the service of the interests of the ranchers and landowners of the Department of Tarija.
On 8^th October 2014, relying on this falsification and the usurping of Original Indigenous Jurisdiction, the headquarters of the CCGT was attacked by Abraham Espinoza in a manner best described as that of a criminal group and since that date the actions taken to usurp and destroy the Guaraní indigenous organization in Tarija have only intensified.
This intentional conduct, in violation of our uses and customs, with the clear aim of dividing, destroying and dismantling the organizations has been carried out by readily identified Guaranís but these traitors to their own people are being financed and supported by the government authorities at regional, departmental and national levels. Examples of this are the actions of the Minister José Sosa, the Sectional Executives Walter Ferrufino, Rubén Vaca, Lorgio Torrez and the interim Governor Lino Condori.
Each and every one of the acts effected by these men constitute serious violations of our uses and customs, in particular because they have been committed in repudiation of the sanctions which had already been issued against these individuals in their communities, pursuant to their own legal process and in accordance with our uses and customs, including the APG of Yacuiba, the APG of Villamontes, the APG of Carapari and the APG Itika Guasu.
Therefore, in view of the right we possess as Guaraní people to apply our proper procedures and in view of the competency which is vested in us under the Original Indigenous and Campesino Jurisdiction, that being the power vested in original campesino and indigenous nations and peoples to administer justice pursuant to their own justice system; this being implemented by means of their respective authorities and which has personal, material and territorial application, in this instance, by means of a Departmental Assembly held in the city of Tarija on the 15^th and 16^th January 2015, we hereby decide:
1. To sanction the individuals below with a permanent suspension from the Guaraní organization and as a result with a prohibition from representing the Guaraní people of the Department of Tarija; that is to say the following individuals cannot hold office, in the community, in the zone, in the Department or at the level of the National APG nor can they hold public or political office in representation of or in the name of the Guaraní people:
APG Yacuiba
Zoilo Rocha
APG Carapari
Zacarías Duran
Francisco Barriga
Dino Ortiz
APG Itika Guasu
Hugo Arebayo Corimayo
René Arebayo Corimayo
Anastacio Arebayo
Eloy Novillo
Eugenio Catuire
Corina Cueilar
Martin Maire
Reynaldo Llanos Cayo
Eduardo Segundo
Artemio Tárraga
Ahraham Melean
Pascual Catuire
APG Villamontes
Alejandrina Avenanti
Modesto Romero
Etelvina Robles
Agapito Vasquez
Elena Cuellar
Likewise, we determine that similar sanctions will be applied to all persons who commit acts contrary to our uses and customs and to our organizations.
2. We reject and repudiate the actions of Abraham Espinoza who is not recognised as a member of the Guaraní people and who has never been part of the Guaraní communities of Tarija; thus we consider his actions to be a clear usurpation of public office, a criminal offence which should be pursued in accordance with the relevant laws.
3. We hereby give notice to the Public Ministry, the National Police and the Ministry of Government that the persons mentioned and sanctioned above have violated the internal laws of the Guarani people as well as national law, and as a result, in reliance on the application of Law Nº 073 on Jurisdictional Demarcation, we urge all necessary co-operation to implement this resolution to punish these persons according to law and to initiate the appropriate investigations to identify the sources of financing of this illegal parallel organization which is clearly criminal in nature.
On this point, we request the Public Ministry to proceed to effect all necessary measures so that the Police can recover the assets and documents which are the property of the CCGT,(and therefore the property of all the Guaraní communities of the Department of Tarija) which were looted from our headquarters on 8^th October 2014 and 12^th December 2015 under the orders of Abraham Espinoza, both of which criminal acts were duly reported by Tomas Araray President of the CCGT.
4. Finally, we wish to ratify and confirm that the lawful authorities are those who were CERTIFIED by the National APG on 30^th November 2014, and these same authorities are responsible to implement the decisions and sanctions issued by this Great Assembly and to ensure their compliance within each of our communities.
Each of the Resolutions to Sanction issued by the APG of Yacuiba, Villamontes, Carapari, Itika Guasu and Bermejo form part of and are hereby expressly incorporated in this Resolution.
Issued in the city of Tarija on 15^th January 2015
[Source: APG Yacuiba, APG Carapari, APG Villamontes, APG Itika Guasu and APG Bermejo, Tarija, 15Jan15]

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This document has been published on 10Feb15 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.