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| Bushman elder, CKGR, Botswana 2004
© 2004 Stephen Corry/Survival |
The Bishop of Oxford challenged the UK government yesterday over violations of the rights of the Bushmen in Botswana.
The Right Reverend Richard Harries asked in the House of Lords, what
representations they are making to the Botswana government to protect
the rights of the Bushmen in the Kalahari.'
Harries is one of the most prominent UK Bishops, and a regular
commentator in the press on human rights and social issues. As a
Bishop, he has automatic membership of the House of Lords.
Harries is the latest of many British parliamentarians, including
several peers, to speak out against the Botswana government's repeated
eviction of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen from their land in the Central
Kalahari Game Reserve.
Last year saw a rapid escalation in government violence and
persecution, with three Bushmen, including one child, being shot and
many others beaten up. One woman has already died of starvation due to
armed guards preventing the Bushmen from leaving their villages to hunt
and gather.
For more information call Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email mr@survival-international.org
