Paraguay
An Indigenous Candidate for the Ombudsman’s Office Called for Intervention Before Evictions and Irreversible Conflicts
Eusebio Villanueva Domínguez appeared before the Senate’s Constitutional Affairs Committee and proposed an Ombudsman’s Office with a stronger presence in the protection of Indigenous communities. He also warned about complaints linked to ancestral lands and the background of international litigation against the state.
During a hearing for candidates for the Ombudsman’s Office and its deputy before the Senate’s Constitutional Affairs Committee, the Indigenous youth leader from the Guaná community, Eusebio Villanueva Domínguez, presented his proposal focused on defending the rights of Indigenous peoples, according to Última Hora.
The candidate said the institution must act before conflicts cause irreversible consequences and strengthen the follow-up of complaints from the Indigenous sector, especially those related to alleged abuses over ancestral properties. In his presentation, he stressed the need to verify the legality of procedures and guarantee the protection of those territories.
According to Última Hora, Villanueva Domínguez recalled that the Paraguayan state has already faced international lawsuits over violations of Indigenous lands and mentioned the cases of Sawhoyamaxa of the Enxet People, Xákmok Kásek of the Sanapaná People and Yakye Axa of the Enxet People before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
He also called on the state to use the legal tools available to prevent evictions affecting ancestral properties, especially when those operations lead to violence. In that context, he said the Ombudsman’s Office must intervene to prevent abuses and demand legal solutions before conflicts escalate.
Still according to Última Hora, the candidate considered that the Ombudsman’s Office currently has a reduced unit for this issue and argued that its role in protecting the most vulnerable sectors should be strengthened.
At the close of the meeting, the chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, Javier Zacarías Irún, praised the quality of the presentations. He said 67 candidates had already spoken for the posts and that next week the hearings would conclude with the last 14 of a total of 81 applicants.
The senator added that the profile of those seeking to lead the Ombudsman’s Office must be tied to a commitment to human rights and to defending the most vulnerable people against injustices, especially those that may come from the Paraguayan state.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
