Costa Rica issues invitation to Commission on Human Rights following murder of Bribrí leader

Costa Rica on Friday invited the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to visit indigenous territories in the country’s southern zone after the murder of a leader who fought for the defense of native lands, the government announced.

The invitation was sent by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lorena Aguilar, to follow up on the precautionary measures ordered by the IACHR to protect the Teribe and Bribrí indigenous communities near Salitre, Puntarenas, in southern Costa Rica.

These territories have been the subject of intense police surveillance after Sergio Rojas, a leader of the Bribrí indigenous group, was shot dead Monday.

Rojas was a prominent fighter for the recovery of indigenous lands.

The IACHR issued precautionary measures in favor of the communities due to the threats they faced in the defense of their lands.

Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado condemned the assassination of Rojas and said it was “a tragic day for the Bribrí people, for indigenous peoples and for all of Costa Rica.”

The judicial police and the prosecutor’s office sent specialized teams to investigate the murder of the indigenous leader.

Read more in The Tico Times: 

‘A tragic day for the Bribrí people’ as leader Sergio Rojas is killed 

Costa Rica’s struggles with indigenous land rights 

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