Amnesty report: government violence against Wet'suwet'en land defenders

Dear Christopher,

Later today, I will join Indigenous land defenders in Vancouver to share a story of oppression, resistance, resilience, and hope.

Amnesty Canada has just issued a research report in which we document and condemn a years-long campaign of violence, harassment, and racial discrimination inflicted upon the Wet’suwet’en Nation in British Columbia (B.C.). The land defenders at today’s press conference have faced a litany of human rights violations and abuses at the hands of the Canadian and B.C. governments, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and fossil-fuel companies – simply for defending their Indigenous rights.

The Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline cuts through the heart of the Wet’suwet’en Nation’s unceded ancestral territory, threatening to sever their profound connection to the land. The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, the Nation’s traditional authority, have refused to grant their free, prior and informed consent to the project – as is their right under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

When Wet’suwet’en land defenders peacefully defended their lands and waters from the CGL pipeline construction, they were met with violence, intimidation, and unlawful surveillance.

Informed by two research trips to Wet’suwet’en territory and dozens of interviews with land defenders and other eyewitnesses, our report sheds light on tactics used by the RCMP. During four militarized raids, officers stormed onto Wet’suwet’en Territory with semi-automatic sniper rifles and police dogs, while helicopters and surveillance drones buzzed overhead. Land defenders reported arbitrary arrests, damaged property, and assaults by masked officers who refused to identify themselves.

Our research also reveals a persistent pattern of intrusive surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, accompanied by racial discrimination and gender-based violence against the land defenders, the majority of whom are women.

But our report goes beyond the pipeline. It’s about the ongoing colonial violence that Indigenous Peoples in Canada have endured for far too long. And it must end today.


YES, I SUPPORT THE WET'SUWET'EN NATION!
I ask you to join Amnesty International Canada in urging Canadian officials to:

End the harassment, intimidation, surveillance and criminalization of Wet’suwet’en land defenders and their supporters.

Drop the charges against Indigenous land defenders criminalized for opposing the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Stop the construction and use of the Coastal GasLink pipeline until the free, prior, and informed consent of the Hereditary Chiefs is obtained.

Our collective voice is stronger than this injustice. Speak up with me, speak up with Amnesty International, and most importantly, speak up and show your solidarity with Indigenous land defenders.

In hope and solidarity,

Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General

Amnesty International Canada

P.S. If you want to learn more, watch our live press conference on our Facebook page at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST. On our interactive Digital Report page, you can explore firsthand accounts, compelling photos, and gripping videos. You also can read the full PDF Report by clicking here.

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