Court Favors Indigenous Community in Decade-Long Struggle Against Oil Drilling in Ecuador
http://amazonwatch.org/news/2012/0731-court-favors-indigenous-community-in-decade-long-struggle-against-oil-drilling-in-ecuador
Inter-American Human Rights Court finds Ecuadorean govt guilty of violating physical and cultural wellbeing of the Sarayaku people
July 31, 2012 | Lauren Johnson | Source: Earth Island Journal
Cristina Gualinga remembers when she first saw helicopters spiral above the canopy of the Amazon. It was in the late 80's, and the US-owned oil company ARCO/Oriente was attempting to operate in the ancestral territory of the Kichwa Indigenous community of Sarayaku, in the south central region of the Ecuadorean Amazon.
Gualinga and other leaders of the community (that also goes by the name Sarayaku) had heard stories about Texaco's work in the Northern Amazon. They had heard about the bellowing refineries that spit fire, the poisoned water sources, and the stubborn stench of oil that clung to the once fragrant air. So they said, "not in our communities!"
Through non-violent protests and the help of allies, the Sarayaku people succeeded in expelling ARCO/Oriente from its territory in 1989. But only since last week have the 1,200 residents of Sarayaku been really able to breathe a sigh of relief into the pristine Amazonian air.