The signatories of this letter have been surprised by the news that the Government of Ecuador decided to revoke the loan agreement established in 1991 for the use of the building of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, CONAIE.
In our view it is clear that the reasons given (the use of the premises for the rehabilitation of young people with addiction problems) are not satisfactory: a State like Ecuador has many places in better condition and location for such tasks. The measure is unjustified.
More than an act of retaliation this is disrespectful to the memory and history of an organisation to which Ecuador owes democratic struggles and extraordinarily profound and positive social transformation.
More than an administrative act without political intent, it seems to be a very disturbing evidence of sectarianism. More than an isolated act, it looks like the latest incident in a series of episodes of intolerance towards criticism from different social movements of the most varied kind.
In our opinion, the government does not need such outbursts and loses moral authority by using this logic of assertion of force and intimidation. It is not too late to rectify.
It would be a courageous act of political intelligence and generosity on your part if you gave positive proof of recognition of the historic emancipatory deeds of one of the largest organisations of indigenous peoples and nationalities of Ecuador.
The peoples of our America and the progressive forces of the world do not forget this glorious history. You should not ignore it either.
Yours sincerely,
YOUR NAME
Indigenous Peoples are putting their bodies on the line and it's our responsibility to make sure you know why. That takes time, expertise and resources - and we're up against a constant tide of misinformation and distorted coverage. By supporting IC you're empowering the kind of journalism we need, at the moment we need it most.
