The Secretariat of Human Rights of the Nation warned this doningo that he received complaints that some 40 civilians carrying weapons firefighters threaten and try to prevent a protest march towards hidden lakeon the land of the British Joe Lewis, despite the fact that, he affirmed, “this is a path authorized by the Justice to be able to access” that place.
“We received complaints from people who are currently on the mountain road heading to Lago Escondido, on the land of Joe Lewis. More than 40 civilians arrived at the scene with firearms to threaten and not continue the journey”said the Human Rights Secretariat on its Twitter account.
The agency added: “It should be noted that this is a path authorized by the Justice to access the lake. We ask the authorities of the province of Río Negro to guarantee the safety and free movement of all of them.“.
Moments ago we received complaints from people who are currently on the mountain road heading to Lago Escondido, on land owned by Joe Lewis. More than 40 civilians arrived at the scene with firearms to threaten them not to continue the journey.
— Human Rights Secretariat (@SDHArgentina) February 6, 2022
Meanwhile, human rights organizations said in a statement that “we repudiate the aggressive action of an armed group under the orders of Joe Lewis that has detained the delegation in transit through Alta Montaña to reach Lago Escondido.”
“Upon reaching Lake Soberanía, this delegation was violently intercepted in order to make them go back. We demand that the judicial authorities and the Government of Rio Negro allow them free movement. Lago Escondido is Argentine, public and not privateso says a court ruling obtained by the INAI (National Institute of Indigenous Affairs) that is not being complied with”.
The denouncing organizations are Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Founding Line, Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, Relatives of the Disappeared and Detained for Political Reasons, Relatives and Companions of the 12 of the Holy Cross, Permanent Assembly for Human Rights, Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights Humans, Argentine Historical and Social Memory Foundation. Permanent Assembly for Human Rights La Matanza, Memory Truth and Justice Commission North Zone and Argentine League for Human Rights
Julius Caesar Urienleader of the Interactive Foundation to Promote the Culture of Water (Fipca), one of the organizing entities of the mobilization towards Lago Escondido, had explained to Télam that the purpose of the march is to denounce that Argentine citizens do not have access to that place.
“We say that the march to Lago Escondido is a cause in defense of national sovereignty, which today is a British enclave of Lewis and where Argentine citizens cannot enter”he claimed.
Under the slogan “in defense of national sovereignty”, leaders and activists from various social, union and political organizations began the sixth March to Lago Escondido, in Río Negro.
