Construction of Mega-Dam to Force Eviction of Indigenous Community
From Ring of Fire:
In Panama, the construction of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam will force the evictions of members of the indigenous Ngöbe community, who use the land along the Tabasara River as their primary means of subsistence and culture. Environmental and human rights groups have submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations to put a stop to “imminent forced evictions of indigenous Ngöbe families,” Earthjustice reports.
The appeal, submitted by Ngöbe organization Movimiento 10 de Abril para la Defensa del Rio Tabasará and three international NGOs, including Earthjustice, notes that the Ngöbe people were not consulted about the construction of the dam, nor did they give consent to be displaced from their land. “Executing these forced evictions will constitute a violation of international human rights law,” said María José Veramendi Villa of AIDA, one of the organizations filing an appeal on behalf of the Ngöbe.
“The forced evictions of the Ngöbe are the most recent threat arising from the Barro Blanco project,” Earthjustice writes. “These evictions raise imminent violations of their human rights to adequate housing; property, including free, prior and informed consent; food, water and means of subsistence; culture; and education.”
You can read the full article here at Ring of Fire.
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