as reported in El Comercio 24-02-08
http://tinyurl.com/2adwwe

Wife of president of Conaie recovers after being attacked by strangers

Miriam Cisneros, wife of the president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), Marlon Santi, is recovering in the hospital after suffering physical and psychological aggression on the part of three strangers this past Friday.  Santi today told Efe that his wife was abducted from the bus terminal on Friday afternoon by three strangers who forced her into an automobile and drove her in the direction of the Amazon.

The president of Conaie, the greater indigenous organization of Ecuador, stated that his wife of 28 years of age, suffered "physical, psychological and verbal agression."  According to Santi, the strangers interrogated Cisneros about the advisers and international contacts of the Conaie, as well as the agenda of that organization and its plans for the eventual realization of a nation-wide indigenous uprising if the Constituent Assembly discards its proposals for the Magna Carta that it is writing.

The president of the Conaie indicated the possibility of an indigenous uprising next month if its rejection of mining, oil and lumber companies is not recognized.

In an official notice, the Conaie denounced the "brutal physical aggression" against Cisneros, who also received death threats from the strangers should she report the abduction.

According to the Conaie, Cisneros was left "near-unconscious" in the Amazon by the strangers after having "tortured and [hosed/drenched -meaning not clear] her with cold water".  According to the official notice of the Conaie, when leaving Cisneros near the city of Puyo, the strangers "said they were acting on orders of the Government of Rafael Correa".  However, when consulted by Efe, Santi at first denied that version, but later said he was not aware of such a situation and noted that his wife had already rendered an official version.   He added that he has not been able to talk in detail with her "because when she begins to speak she only starts to cry".  

Although the Conaie indicated in its official notice that Santi also received an anonymous telephone call threatening death if he reported what had happened to his wife, he denied that it had occured.   Santi said that as soon as they knew the situation of his wife, in a manner to which he referred to as "secuestration," they informed the government authorities of the case, which the relatives found out through a cousin who tried to communicate by cell phone with Cisneros, according to the president of the Conaie.

In its official notice, the Conaie ratified its position to defend all the expressions of life and rejected fully all forms of violation of human rights.  It called on the national and international society to "be well informed of this type of action" that demands an immediate investigation.

Santi assumed leadership of the Conaie last month, for a period of three years.

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Sorry for the clunky translation.  I try to stay true to the text, but it's difficult at times given the differences in syntax and idiom, plus the fact that I'm not really trained in this sort of work.

Here is the website of Conaie:   www.conaie.org 

Nothing reported there as yet.


ebear