Press Releases
Update on the Belo Monte Dam Protest
Statement from partners on #OCCUPYBELOMONTEDAM
October 28, 2011 | Amazon Watch
Altamira, Brazil – Hundreds of indigenous leaders, fishermen and riverine people from the Xingu River basin have gathered to occupy the Belo Monte Dam construction site in a peaceful protest to stop its construction in Altamira, located in the state of Pará in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.More »
Hundreds Occupy Belo Monte Dam Site in Brazilian Amazon
Indigenous peoples & riverine communities gather in peaceful protest
October 27, 2011 | Amazon Watch
Altamira, Brazil – Hundreds of indigenous leaders, fishermen and riverine people from the Xingu River basin have gathered to occupy the Belo Monte Dam construction site in a peaceful protest to stop its construction in Altamira, located in the state of Pará in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.More »
Brazil Boycotts OAS Meeting Over Belo Monte Dam
Government refuses to meet affected community leaders at Human Rights Commission
October 26, 2011 | Amazon Watch, AIDA, Global Justice
Washington, D.C. – The government of Brazil refused to attend a closed hearing convened by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States today, taking a stance that threatens to set a chilling precedent for human rights and sustainable development throughout the Americas.More »
Chevron "Dirty Tricks" Operative Diego Borja Could Face Criminal Liability for Obstructing Ecuador Trial, Lawyer Concedes
Borja Claimed Chevron Tried to Corrupt Process That Led to $18 Billion Judgment Against Oil Giant
October 21, 2011 | Amazon Defense Coalition
San Francisco, CA – Chevron's self-proclaimed "dirty tricks" operative Diego Borja – accused of trying to orchestrate a bribe to an Ecuador judge to undermine the environmental lawsuit against Chevron – could face potential criminal liability in the U.S. for his actions, according to an unusual admission in federal court made recently by his own lawyer.More »
Judge Calls License in Controversial Amazon Dam Project Illegal
Brazilian federal judge votes for indigenous rights; argues Belo Monte Dam violates Constitution and international conventions
October 18, 2011 | Amazon Watch, International Rivers
Brasília, Brazil – In a landmark decision on Monday, a federal judge in Brazil voted that the environmental licensing of the controversial Belo Monte Dam is illegal given the lack of consultations with affected indigenous communities.More »
Brazilian Judge Halts Belo Monte Dam Construction
Judge rules controversial project risks damaging fish stocks on Xingu River
September 29, 2011 | Amazon Watch
Altamira, Brazil – Brazil's Belo Monte hydroelectric dam project on the Xingu River in the Amazon suffered two major setbacks this week when a judge ruled in favor of fisheries groups and placed limits on its construction, and the mayor's office of Altamira issued a cautionary statement requesting the project be suspended until her government can meet its guarantee to mitigate considerable social and environmental impacts. More »
Wikileaks Cables Expose Chevron's Lobbying of Ecuador Government to Kill $18 Billion Environmental Case
Newly Released Cables Raise Questions About Chevron Ties to U.S. Embassy and Misrepresentations
September 21, 2011 | Amazon Defense Coalition
New York, NY – Chevron engaged in a clandestine lobbying campaign of Ecuador's government to improperly shut down the historic environmental case brought by thousands of indigenous persons, according to a series of cables written by U.S. government officials and recently disclosed by Wikileaks.More »
Indigenous Blockade River, Thwart Talisman Operations in Peru's Amazon
Shuar join Achuar in demanding oil company abandon Block 64
September 20, 2011 | Amazon Watch
Loreto, Peru – More than 100 Shuar indigenous people have blockaded the Morona River, disrupting Canadian-based Talisman Energy's exploratory drilling operations in remote oil Block 64 of the Peruvian Amazon.More »
Amazon Leader Tours US, Calls on Brazil to Choose Clean Energy Alternatives
Brazil's President Rousseff faces tough questions on world stage
September 19, 2011 | Amazon Watch
As world leaders gather in New York to discuss the planet's most pressing issues, venerated Brazilian indigenous leader Sheyla Juruna will be in New York to urge President Dilma Rousseff to choose clean renewable energy alternatives to meet Brazil's growing energy needs.More »
U.S. State Department Concludes Ecuador Provides Impartial Tribunals, Says Expert Report
Chevron Continues to Manipulate Data to Evade Environmental Liability
September 8, 2011 | Amazon Defense Coalition
New York, NY – A new report based on U.S. government data and independent surveys demonstrates conclusively that Ecuador's court system ranks better than most of its neighbors in Latin America and provides impartial tribunals to litigants, clearly undermining Chevron's claims that an $18 billion judgment against it for environmental damage from the South American country cannot be enforced.More »
