 Updated
Press Release:
July 17, 2002
Contacts:
Lucy Braham,
Amazon Watch, (510) 419-0617
(310) 420- 8245 (cell)
Alexandra Almeida,
Acción
Ecologíca in Ecuador, 011 593 2-254-7516
Julia Butterfly
Hill remains in Ecuadorian jail with seven other
activists after Oxy Oil Protest
Julia to hold
press conference 10.30am tomorrow outside Occidental’s LA offices.
****Photos and video footage
of protests and arrests available***
Quito, Ecuador—Julia
Butterfly Hill and seven Ecuadorians arrested Tuesday during a peaceful
protest outside Occidental Petroleum (OXY)’s Quito offices remained
in jail for a second night pending their 9 am hearing Thursday. Lawyers
today filed a Habeas Corpus petition and will present the case tomorrow
that the eight activists have been illegally detained and arrested,
calling for their immediate release with all charges dropped.
Most of those arrested
represent Ecuadorian communities in Mindo, Lago Agrio, Esmeraldas and
Shushufindi, who are adversely affected by the new OCP pipeline. Los
Angeles-based Occidental is a key member of the OCP consortium, and
is planning significant expansion of its Ecuador operations in pristine
Amazon ecosystems, in expectation of the pipeline’s completion.
The project has been mired in controversy since its inception, with
hundreds of protests over the last few months along its route, which
crosses fragile ecosystems and 11 protected areas. Julia Butterfly
has been in Ecuador since July 9, joining the national struggle to
resist this destructive petroleum infrastructure project.
Shortly following her
arrest yesterday, Julia announced her determination not to leave the
jail until all eight of the protesters are released together. After
a four hour deportation hearing today in Quito’s Provisional Detention
Center, where the eight are being held, a decision will be made within
24 hours regarding her deportation. After the hearing Julia released
this statement:
"It has been a
very long and exhausting night and day here in the Ecuadorian prison.
In my deportation hearing today I was not surprised to learn that the
OCP sent a letter to the police pressuring for my deportation. I believe
my civil rights have been violated more than once in this experience,
but my biggest concern continues to be with the rights of those arrested
with me and the communities devastated by oil exploitation."
Seven people were also
arrested yesterday in the Amazonian province of Sucumbios in another
show of resistance against the pipeline. Members of two local farming
families near Lago Agrio were dispersed with tear gas by police. Two
children were among those detained.
On Monday Julia Butterfly,
best known for her 738 day tree sit 200 feet atop a 2000-year old threatened
California old-growth redwood tree, accompanied Mindo community members
to re-occupy OCP’s construction site in the Mindo Nambillo Cloudforest
Reserve, stating "I come to Ecuador to stand in solidarity with
people who stand against the absolute greed that imminently threatens
the destruction of these priceless and diverse ecosystems." Construction
has now illegally advanced 200 meters inside community-owned property.
A judge will visit the site Friday, accompanied by local community
members, to issue a ruling on the property demarcation.
Lead financer of the
project, German bank WestLB, has come under intense fire for syndicating
a $900 million loan to the OCP in violation of its own lending policies.
The loan, which does not meet minimum World Bank environmental guidelines
has sparked public outrage in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia
(NWR), which holds a 43 percent stake in WestLB. US bank, Citigroup
has also been highlighted as a top lender to consortium members.
The majority of Amazon
crude that will flow through the pipeline is destined for US West Coast
markets. The OCP Consortium includes: Alberta Energy (Canada), Occidental
Petroleum (OXY- USA), AGIP (Italy), Repsol-YPF (Spain), Perez Companc
(Argentina), and Techint (Argentina). JP Morgan Chase is financial
advisor for the project.
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