Paraguay pressed on indigenous land restitution | World War 4 Report

12.11.13

Paraguay pressed on indigenous land restitution | World War 4 Report: Directors of the Americas sections of�Amnesty International on Oct. 30 sent an open letter to Paraguay's senators demanding immediate restitution of usurped lands to the Enxet indigenous community of Sawhoyamaxa in the Gran Chaco region, charging that a 2006 ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CIDH) in favor of the community is going unenforced. In August, the government issued a decree calling for purchase of 14,000 hectares of usurped Sawhoyamaxa lands from a local rancher and their return to the community, but the rancher has refused to negotiate.�Enxet�communities began legal action for return of their lands in 1991, after which they were evicted from the usurped lands, where many had been employed as ranch hands.