Wet’suwet’en Chief Dsta’hyl declared first Amnesty International prisoner of conscience held in Canada
The Wet’suwet’en has a dedicated Royal Canadian Mounted Police unit (RMCP) to surveil and police them for their opposition to a pipeline being driven through their land
“The Canadian state has unjustly criminalized and confined Chief Dsta’hyl for defending the land and rights of the Wet’suwet’en people,” Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said on Wednesday. “As a result, Canada joins the shameful list of countries where prisoners of conscience remain under house arrest or behind bars. With the utmost respect for Chief Dsta’hyl’s critical work to protect Wet’suwet’en land, rights and the environment we all depend on, Amnesty International demands his immediate and unconditional release and urges Canada to stop the criminalization of Wet’suwet’en and other Indigenous defenders during a global climate emergency.”
We owe it to them, and we owe it to ourselves, to say their names and their situations.
Every moment we allow to be forgotten is a step towards dehumanising and denying human rights, including access to water and a healthy environment.
And if we make the effort not to forget and not to remain silent, we could then think, discuss and act differently in order to provide help and solutions to resolve these injustices.