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for the Wichí people of Argentina Apoyo al pueblo Wichí de Argentina |
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| News January 2008 In 2007 one of the communities that Chacolinks supports(Hoktek T'oi) gained 'rights of use' to the 3000 hectares of ancestral forest which was illegally taken from them more than ten years ago. We have supplied funds for this long legal battle, working with the logistical support of the Anglican missionary organisation, Asociana. We have also funded other legal cases, paid for lawyers (América Alemán and Sarah Esper) and supported a translator for court proceedings, as Spanish is a second language for the Wichí. Please look at the picture on our 'Photos' page of the JP visiting the village of Hoktek T'oi to notify the community of the restoration of their rights. This was a day to celebrate! Full legal title is still awaited, and we are pressing the government to ensure that this is speedily done. Excluding the expropriation, we are involved in four criminal actions undertaken by the Wichí: 1) José Galarza (deceased) and others vs. Police Commissioner Villafañe (for grievous bodily harm arising from the Pozo Nuevo attack); 2) and 3) Hoktek T'oi vs. Dept of the Environment of Salta province (for failure to control environmental damage caused by illegal deforestation); 4) Hoktek T'oi vs Dionisio Gutiérrez (a logger whom the community caught felling trees on their land). We are also involved in defending a young Wichí man named Qa'tu, accused of rape on account of his having undertaken a marriage according to indigenous custom, which would be deemed underage for a non-indigenous marriage. Legal provision is given under Argentine Law for such indigenous marriages, but this has been ignored by the Provincial Judiciary. |