In light of the recent detention of indigenous rights defender Rodion Sulyandziga, Udege tribe member of eastern Siberia, Russia, we at ECVC along with other Civil Society Organisations have written the following open letter to Russian authorities asking them to cease the intimidation and criminalisation campaign against Mr Sulyandziga and the indigenous peoples movement of the Russian Federation:
"To: Presidency of Russian Federation – Mr. President Vladimir Putin
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
General of Police Vladimir Kolokoltsev
Brussels, 20 December 2016
IN SUPPORT FOR RODION SULYANDZIGA AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
The following Civil Society Organizations join the members of the Aborigen Forum in denouncing the continued criminalization of internationally acclaimed human and indigenous rights defender Rodion Sulyandziga, and call for the rights to organise of all indigenous peoples to be recognized and respected by world governments. We specifically ask Russian authorities to stop pressuring, harassing and criminalizing the leaders of the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation.
On Sunday, 11th December, 2016, Rodion Sulyandziga was detained after an early morning search of his home by Russian police. Sulyandziga was thereby prevented from opening and chairing a Moscow seminar of indigenous peoples of the Russian north, Siberia, and East Asia. Even though he was later released, Mr Sulyandziga's computer was seized nonetheless. This recent incident seems to be just the latest of an intimidation campaign directed against Rodion Sulyandziga. Already in 2014 Rodion Sulyandziga was prevented by Russian authorities from traveling to the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples of which he was an organizer. In the face and despite such repeated harassment, Sulyandziga's work continues to benefit international movements for indigenous people and environmental protection, and we salute him for his commitment.
Sincerely,
European Coordination Via Campesina – Europe
Urgenci Community Supported Agriculture Network - International
La Unidad de la Fuerza Indígena y Campesina (UFIC) - Mexico
World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) - International
Réseau Intercontinental de Promotion de l'économie Sociale Solidaire - RIPESS Intercontinental – International
Transnational Institute (TNI) – Netherlands
FIAN European Sections - Europe
Agro-Eco-Culture - Belarus*
*At the time of writing this letter, more civil society organizations all over the world, are continuing to co-sign this open letter."
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