Honouring Ingrid

ALI EL ISSA

In the weeks since Ingrid's tragic death, I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from people everywhere. Prior to her execution, we contacted the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and tried to tell them not to kill her, that she was a friend of all peoples who believed in justice and humanity. Despite this tragedy, we must also continue Ingrid's work, the work that Indigenous Peoples here and around the world depend on.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Ingrid Washinawatok, Lahe'ena'e Gay and Terence Freitas were kidnapped in Colombia on February 25th, 1999, by an armed group in civilian clothing and were found shot to death.

Ingrid Washinawatok was a member of the Menominee Nation in Wisconsin and was one of the most well known American Indian activists. Lahe'ena'e Gay directed the Hawaii-based Pacific Cultural Conservancy International. Freitas, under the auspices of the U'Wa Defense Working Group, defended the environmental rights of the U'Wa, an indigenous community close to the Venezuelan border.

U.S. Activists Killed in Colombia
Democracy Now!
Monday, March 8th, 1999

Read and listen to Pacifica Radio's Amy Goodman and guests:

Victoria Maldonado, a Colombian filmmaker
Melina Selverston, Director of the Coalition for
Amazonian Peoples and their Environment
Esmeralda Brown, Chair of the NGO Committee of the United Nations International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples (1995-2004)

This broadcast also includes an audio clip of Terence Freitas and concludes with Ingrid Washinawatok speaking in 1992 about the 500th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus

Listen to Segment - Radio Broadcast: 51 minutes