Rigoberta Menchu Asks Colombia to Release Indigenous Leader

Rigoberta Menchu Asks Colombia to Release Indigenous Leader
Published 22 October 2015 (8 hours 37 minutes ago)

Guatemalan indigenous rights activist Rigoberta Menchu also says Indigenous communities should be involved in Colombia's peace process.


Renown Indigenous rights activist Rigoberta Menchu has added her voice to the campaign in Colombia to release the Indigenous leader Feliciano Valencia after he was recently sentenced to spend 18 months in prison, according to media reports Thursday.

Menchu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and of the Mayan Quiche community in Guatemala, said it bothered her to see “our brother Feliciano” captured since he has been an important voice for Indigenous people and for peace efforts in the country. The activist also urged the Colombian government to release him.

Valencia is from the Nasa Indigenous community in Colombia and winner of the Colombian Peace Prize in 2000. The activist has for years fought for the defense and visibility of Indigenous peoples in the country, particularly the Nasa community, which has been one of the worst affected by the ongoing armed conflict in the country.

More:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Rigoberta-Menchu-Asks-Colombia-to-Release-Indigenous-Leader--20151022-0020.html