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President
Alvarado shakes hands with Joel
Antonio Hernández representative of
Costa Rica in the IACHR.
/ Presidential House courtesy photo
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The Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights arrives
to review situation of indigenous
community and Nicaraguans migrants
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By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
A delegation from The
Inter-American Commission on Human
Rights (IACHR) met on Monday with
President Carlos Alvarado, who
requested a formal meeting on
March 22, as result of the crime
against the indigenous leader
Sergio Rojas.
The group is headed by
Commissioner Joel Antonio
Hernández, who is the
representative of Costa Rica
in the IACHR, also Jorge
Humberto Meza, coordinator of the
Precautionary Measures Section,
and Fernanda Alves Dos Anjos,
coordinator of the Monitoring
Section of the Special Follow-up
Mechanism for Nicaragua.
"Our expectation of this
meeting is to understand the state
of these two peoples (referring to
indigenous communities and
Nicaraguan migrants) and the
measures that the government must
continue to guarantee the security
and rights," said Hernandez
commissioner of IACHR. "We are
very pleased to be making this
visit and very grateful to the
president for having quickly sent
an invitation to the Commission
after the tragic events of March
18."
The meeting was attended
by Alvarado among other
government authorities.
President Alvarado said on the
murder of indigenous
leader Rojas, "the government
helps with the authorities in
order to clarify that."
"To the government, the meeting
with the IACHR is an
important occasion to learn about
the observations and suggestions
of the Commission, with the
objective of strengthening
compliance with the precautionary
measures in favor of the Bribri de
Salitre and Teribe de Térraba
people," said Juan Alfaro, Deputy
Minister of the Presidency for
Political Affairs and Citizen
Dialogue. "With this
meeting, we renew our commitment
to comply with the precautionary
measure and the human rights of
indigenous peoples."
On Monday, the delegation held
two sessions of work: one to
review the precautionary measures
and the participation of
government authorities, while the
second will focus on the situation
of Nicaraguan migrants in Costa
Rica.
There is also a meeting with the
Attorney General, Emilia Navas,
with the goal of knowing the
status of the investigation into
the crime against Rojas.
On Tuesday, the Commission will
meet with members of the
indigenous community who
are beneficiaries of the
protection precautionary measures
issued in 2015 by the Organization
of American States, OAS.
These measures to protect the
indigenous community were ordered
as a result of threats from
farmers and wood producers, who
apparently try to cut down the
trees and take the lands from
indigenous territory.
On March 21, as A.M. Costa Rica
reported, President
Alvarado condemned the
assassination of indigenous
leader Sergio Rojas, 59, at his
home in the indigenous area of Salitre*
in the province of Puntarenas.
"This is a tragic day for the
Bribri people, for the
indigenous peoples and for all
of Costa Rica, " said President
Alvarado. "We express our pain
and indignation to the relatives
and to all the Bribri people."
According to the police report,
on Monday May 18th, at 9:15
p.m., a 9-1-1 call was received
that in the Yeri sector of the Salitre*
indigenous territory, in the
Buenos Aires canton of
Puntarenas. The caller stated
that a series of shots had been
heard. When the police arrived
at the house, they identified
the body of Sergio Rojas. He had
been killed by multiple
gunshots.
On hearing the news, the
president asked the Minister of
Security to do everything
necessary to find those
responsible and clarify the
events as soon as possible.
In addition, the government said
that it is providing protection
for the victim’s relatives and
has increased the police
presence in the community.
The government report said that
after the emergency call was
received by the 9-1-1 operator
they immediately activated the
appropriate protocol and the
precautionary measures requested
by the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights for several
members of the indigenous
community of Salitre.
The Public Ministry wishes to
clarify false information being
disseminated about the murder on
social networks:
- The victim did not file any
complaint, neither as an
offended person nor as a
witness, related to any land
property case.
- He went to the Prosecutor's
Office of Buenos Aires in
Puntarenas, to accompany two
people who filed a written
complaint.
- Mr. Rojas has not made any
complaint for threats or
aggression or against his life.
- Mr. Rojas does not appear as a
victim or as a witness in any
complaint about threats.
- Based on the evidence
collected so far, it has not
been determined that the motive
for murder is related to the
complaint filed by the
indigenous people who were
accompanied by Mr. Rojas.
Mr. Sergio Rojas was a
well-known indigenous leader of
the Salitre area in Buenos
Aires, Puntarenas and member of
the National Coordination of the
National Front of Indigenous
Peoples.
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Should The Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights go to
Nicaragua to support the victims
of the crisis in that country? We would
like to know your thoughts on this
story. Send your comments
to: news@amcostarica.com
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