Criminalization of and Impunity Against Indigenous Peoples Intensify Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic

Over 200 human rights violations incidents were documented in 23 countries from January to July 2020

The Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI), a global indigenous organization championing indigenous rights, raised alarm over the apparent growing global trend of criminalization and violence against indigenous peoples in various countries during the COVID 19 lockdown and implementation of other repressive measures.

In its mid-year special report on the criminalization and violence against indigenous peoples, IPRI reported that 202 incidents of human rights violations were documented from January 1 to July 31, 2020 in 23 countries worldwide.

These countries include Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, and United States of America. Many of these States are implementing restrictive measures and using these to take advantage of the pandemic in attacking indigenous leaders and communities and in taking over their lands and resources.

These criminalization and violence were categorized into four: violations of fundamental rights and freedoms (civil and political rights), killings, violations of economic and socio cultural rights and collective rights of indigenous peoples; and gender-based violence. The violations of civil and political rights included cases of trumped-up charges, abduction, illegal arrest and detention, among others; while violations of economic and socio cultural rights include violations of indigenous peoples’ collective rights to land, territories and resources, livelihood, housing, culture, and self-determination.

More than half, or 110 of the 202 documented incidents are criminalization of indigenous peoples or violations of civil and political rights. Among the 23 countries, the Philippines has the highest number of documented incidents at 32, which affected 125 individuals, three communities, and six villages. Other countries that have high criminalization incidents are Bangladesh and Canada with 13 and 8, respectively.

The report also monitored 83 incidents of killings. Sixty of these incidents were recorded in Colombia. Alarmingly, indigenous killings in Colombia from January to July 2020 have already breached its 2019 record, making it the highest in the country’s history. The victims were known activists who fought for land rights. Other countries that recorded killings were Bangladesh, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Peru.

Sixteen cases of violations of the indigenous peoples’ collective rights and economic and socio-cultural rights were also recorded. The cases were mostly in Bangladesh and Philippines, with four incidents each, both relating to land grabbing and displacement. The attacks in Bangladesh affected 5,000 individuals and three communities, while 700 individuals, 937 families, and one village were affected in the Philippines. There were similar cases in other countries, however they were not
properly documented. Other cases include dismantling and burning of indigenous villages in forest and national parks.

Three incidents of gender-based violence were monitored in Colombia and Paraguay. Two of these cases involve minors. In Colombia, an indigenous woman activist and a 13-year-old girl were victims of gender-based violence. The woman received death and rape threats while the girl was raped by seven soldiers. In Paraguay, a 12-year-old girl was raped by a 26-year-old man.

Apart from these cases, women and girls were also monitored to have been illegally arrested and detained in Nepal, Canada, and Indonesia; physically attacked in Nicaragua; and killed in Thailand.

While the monitored cases of gender-based violence is low, IPRI recognizes the reality of indigenous women and girls on the ground, that many of them are not able to report cases of violence to authorities for lack of access to justice and prevailing culture of stigmatization.

In its report, IPRI noted that while the current COVID-19 crisis raises multitudes of health concerns for many indigenous communities globally, it has also exposed the intensified impunity against indigenous peoples under the States’ response measures to the pandemic.

The report further stated that, as the pandemic results to economic downturn, policies and targets for economic recovery increase the threats and vulnerability of indigenous peoples to land grabbing and resource extraction in their territories, and to repression and criminalization when they defend and protect their collective rights and well-being.