Ngäbe on boulders containing petroglyphs, in the Tabasara River. The boulders will be drowned by the dam.

Stand with the Ngäbe-Bugle People of Panama!

Date: 
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Protest to save the Tabasará River
Protest to save the Tabasará River
ASAMCHI

The 28.84 MW Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Project in western Panama has spurred a number of protests by the Ngäbe-Bugle indigenous communities and their allies as a result of a lack of consultation and a failure of its proponents to recognize the impact the dam's reservoir would have on indigenous lands and livelihoods. The most recent rally in March ended in a violent confrontation with alleged masked police agents. A Ngäbe indigenous man named Onesimo Rodriguez, who opposed the Barro Blanco Dam, was found murdered, his body left in a nearby stream. 

As the project nears completion, tensions on the ground are rising, and the local communities need the attention and support of the international community more than ever. We urge you to stand with the Ngäbe-Bugle people of Panama and their allies from around the world by signing this community petition to those involved in financing and building the Barro Blanco Dam. The petition:

  • Calls on the funders to immediately withdraw their support from the project;
  • Urges the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Human Rights Council’s Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment to visit the site and investigate the allegations of abuse; and
  • Demands that the project be removed from the Kyoto Protocol's carbon offseting scheme.

Sign the petition against the Barro Blanco Dam in solidarity with the Ngäbe-Bugle people of Panama and their allies.

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