Boruca community creates the first Territorial Indigenous Consultation Organization

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Ministry of Justice reported the creation of the first office for Territorial Indigenous Consultation in the community of the Boruca*, in Buenos Aires, Puntarenas.

This organization is expected to make consultation with the indigenous peoples easier, before projects could be developed on their territories and affect the community.

"We are happy to start this process," said Jimmy González, representative of the Boruca community. "This is the beginning of paying off a historical debt with indigenous peoples."

This organization seeks to fulfill the international commitments assumed by the government in the recognition and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples.

The organizations of each territory are responsible for determining if any project to be developed on their land requires consulting the members of the community.

According to the Ministry, this type of organization will be developed in the rest of the indigenous territories of the country, as in the towns of Talamanca*, Curre*, and Cabagra*, also located in Buenos Aires of Puntarenas.

Costa Rica's 1977 Indigenous Law says that the Indigenous Territories are the traditional lands of the legally recognized indigenous peoples of Costa Rica. The Republic of Costa Rica recognizes eight native ethnicities; Bribris, Chorotegas, Malekus, Ngöbe, Huetars, Cabecars, Borucas and Terrabas.

The Law also provides the territories self-government and autonomy according to the traditional organization of the tribes.

The Human Rights mission has requested protection measures for the Teribe and Bribri indigenous communities as a result of threats from farmers and wood producers, who apparently try to cut down the trees and take the lands from the indigenous people.

On May 24, as A.M. Costa Rica reported, Human Rights Commissioner requested an expeditious investigation into the murder of indigenous leader Sergio Rojas.

Commissioner Joel Hernandez, representing Costa Rica before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, with representatives of the indigenous communities in the towns of Térraba*, and Salitre*, who are beneficiaries of protection measures requested by that organization were present.

Commissioner Hernandez had a meeting at the Attorney General's Office where he called for an expeditious investigation into the murder of Sergio Rojas because that cannot go unpunished.

"We have listened to the commitment of the authorities to address the pending issues and we are pleased to have a very direct, very personal, very long contact, of intense days, with the beneficiaries of the precautionary measure (referring to the indigenous community)," said Commissioner Hernandez. "We leave satisfied with the renewed commitment and also satisfied because we have many more elements to understand an extremely complex issue."

Related to the murder of Sergio Rojas the police reported, the murder occurred on May 18th, at the town of the Salitre.

A witness reported 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.

The Public Ministry in its statement clarified that false information being disseminated about the murder on social networks:

- The victim did not file any complaint, neither as an offended person nor as to witness, related to any land property case.

- A day before the murder, I 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," said the Public Ministry in its statement.

Mr. Sergio Rojas was a well-known indigenous leader of the Salitre area in Buenos Aires in Puntarenas and member of the National Coordination of the National Front of Indigenous Peoples.

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