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June 11, 2009

Peruvian Congress Suspends Land Laws
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In Peru, lawmakers have temporarily suspended two land-use laws that led
to an indigenous uprising and dozens of deaths in the ensuing police
crackdown. Indigenous groups have opposed the laws that would allow an
unprecedented wave of logging, oil drilling, mining and agriculture in
the Amazon rainforest. On Wednesday, the Peruvian congress voted to
suspend the laws, but for an unspecified time. Indigenous leader Efrain
Pizango Wasy said the protests will continue until the laws are fully
repealed.

Efrain Pizango Wasy: “Our reaction is not to suspend the strike, but to
continue until the end. As you have heard, this measure is suspended for
only ninety days. This is not convenient for us, the indigenous
population. We will gather more and continue fighting until the end.”

President Alan Garcia’s government passed the land laws under “fast
track” authority he had received to facilitate implementation of the
US-Peru Free Trade Agreement.



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