Small Steps Towards Justice For Garzal

By Pierre Shantz

“I wanted to let out a loud shout of joy right there in the courthouse I was so happy,” said Don Salvador about the ruling in favor of the Garzal and Nueva Esperanza communities on Wednesday, March 4th. The previous week, the judge called the communities to a mediation session with the Barreto family. Many questions ran through the community’s mind. Is the struggle for our land finished? Would the judge force us to negotiate the surrender of our land? Loaded in the back of a small truck, 20 members of the community traveled to Simiti to hear the ruling. The community has challenged fraudulent titles held by the Barreto family (which the family is using as proof of ownership) in court and has been nervously waiting for the judge to give a ruling. Many believed that the judge, like many other government officials in this process, could be bribed by the Barreto family and give a ruling in their favor. A ruling in favor of the Barreto family meant that the families of Garzal and Nueva Esperanza would be forcibly removed. (see articles: Communities Resist Displacement and I Thought You Were Dead)

Unexpectedly, the judge ruled that the decision was out of his hands. The Colombian Institute for Rural Development (INCODER) should decide whose land it is. This gives the community much hope. In February the Garzal communities had a meeting with the national legal representative of INCODER. She is the first government official to commit to a fair and open process reviewing all titles and documents related to the Garzal/Nueva Esperanza case. She will personally visit and inspect the Garzal communities on March 19th and 20th to see who is in fact on the land. She has been handling the case in a manner that starkly contrasts with the previous official, who was fired for irregular procedures in this case.

The struggle is not over and the threats not only come from the Barreto family. The region has been zoned for mega projects (palm oil, rubber, and petroleun) where there is no room for small farming families.

“We are called to be faithful, not effective” is something that CPTers say to keep from feeling too disheartened. Sometimes it feels like the violent forces will always win. We can help prevent some levels of violence but so often it feels like we are only treading water. This past week the waters have started to recede and it feels like we can touch the bottom.

Anxious yet hopeful we all await the date set for March 19th and 20th. The community requests your continued thoughts and prayers. I still believe that we are called to be faithful rather than effective, but it sure feels good to see a process we accompany stand firm and in the end, remain standing.