Pedro Arrojo Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights to water, has grave concerns about Canada’s “judicial treatment, criminalization” of Indigenous water protectors, violating their rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression. The militarized RCMP C-IRG raids on Wet’suwet’en territory was a “shocking reaction, so violent.” Are officials, judges, politicians, police and energy regulators listening? I doubt it, they’re rich, mostly white and don’t care about water or lives of others.

UN Special Rapporteur comments on the “repression and persecution” faced by Indigenous water protectors in Canada by Brent Patterson, April 19, 2024, Peace Brigades International Canada

Pedro Arrojo Agudo, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation, has concluded his official visit to Canada.

In a media statement released today, he noted “there are challenges to be addressed” in Canada, including “the criminalization of water defenders”.

While in Canada, Arrojo Agudo visited several Indigenous territories, including the Wet’suwet’en and Secwepemc nations.

That media statement further noted: “He also expressed grave concern about the criminalisation, repression and persecution faced by Indigenous Peoples opposing large infrastructure projects.”

Arrojo Agudo says: “These actions violate their rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression. Canada must uphold the principle of free prior and informed consent while respecting dynamics of consultation and consent established by Indigenous Peoples themselves.”

At the media conference in Ottawa this morning, Arrojo Agudo noted he had “mixed feelings” including “frustration and indignation” about Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples, and that he is “sadly surprised by the criminalization of Indigenous river defenders that damages Canada’s international reputation.”

He further shared that he “couldn’t help but cry with them” when he heard the stories from frontline communities.

In response to a question from PBI-Canada about the three militarized RCMP C-IRG raids on Wet’suwet’en territory, Agudo Arrojo said that the repression of Indigenous water protectors was a “shocking reaction, so violent”. He further highlighted Canada “needs to avoid this kind of repressive action”.

Arrojo Agudo stressed that the actions of the Indigenous water protectors were non-violent, but that the treatment of them has been violent. He added concern about the “judicial treatment, criminalization” of the water defenders.

The Special Rapporteur will present the report on his visit to Canada to the Human Rights Council in Geneva in September 2024.

Refer also to:

2017: University of Alberta’s Centre for Constitutional Studies & Legal Education Society of Alberta haven’t yet realized that Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a mangled, oil-soaked paper airplane flown out of a 26th storey window in downtown Calgary, fueled by Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) knowingly publishing lies in their rulings.