In a document addressed to the international community, various humanist expressions denounced the repression unleashed by the government of Gerardo Morales in the Argentinean province of Jujuy against the non-violent protest of education workers, indigenous peoples, social and trade union organisations, peasants, and villagers.

They also expressed their repudiation of the new attack on the health and life of [the government’s] first political prisoner Milagro Sala and her companion Raúl Noro, who is at home in a very complicated health situation.

The strong appeal calls on all people and related organisations in every region, in our America and the world, to actively join this demand for a just resistance against all forms of violence, the full respect of human rights in the province of Jujuy, the immediate cessation of repression and violence, and the urgent release of Milagro Sala.

Below is the full text of the communiqué. Humanist Call to the World Community

FOR THE CESSATION OF REPRESSION AND VIOLENCE IN JUJUY, ARGENTINA AND THE RELEASE OF MILAGRO SALA

From the Humanist Movement, Humanist Party, Organisms and members of Communities of Silo’s Message worldwide, we strongly repudiate and denounce the sustained violence exercised by the Governor of Jujuy, Gerardo Morales, on his own people through savage repression, persecution, torture and harassment of demonstrators, their families, education workers, native peoples, social organisations, trade unions, villagers and peasants in general who join the protests, which have always been peaceful and non-violent.

In the best style of the dictatorships that ravaged our region in the past, Morales is restarting a spiral of violence that takes us back to dark periods of our history that we thought we had overcome. Morales uses this repression as part of his political campaign, running for the vice-presidency of Argentina alongside Horacio Rodríguez Larreta as a candidate for President, and reinforces his show of power by once again attacking the health and life of his first political prisoner Milagro Sala and her companion Raúl Noro, who is at home in a very complicated health situation.

Within the same framework of abuses of power, the economic interest in the management of lithium is well known, with Jujuy being one of the main lithium producers in the world, with the state promoting land expropriation, persecution and repression. Morales and his partners are currently the main beneficiaries who extract and export lithium from Argentina, [activities that produce] a high level of contamination of the water used for human, animal and irrigation consumption.

To all these outrages, Governor Morales adds a new abuse of power and violation of rights, illegally introducing reforms to the Jujuy Constitution, which further motivated the people to continue peaceful protests, obtaining in response, a fierce repression instead of dialogue.

That is why we denounce and repudiate these acts of violence, requesting the corresponding powers to intervene, including the current national government, to stop this situation of injustice that is going through terminal levels.

We call on all like-minded people and organisations in our country, in every region, in our America and in the world, to actively join this demand for a just resistance against all forms of violence, the full respect of human rights in the province of Jujuy, the immediate cessation of repression and violence, and the urgent release of Milagro Sala.

The violation of human rights has no jurisdiction, nor does their defence, which is why we appeal to the international community.

To achieve these changes, we invite you to strengthen not only social and political actions in this direction (so important at this time), but also to strengthen our spirit and our internal strength, to accompany our dear sister, Milagro Sala, and brother, Raúl Noro, and all the people of Jujuy, every day with our best images and wishes for peace and wellbeing.

Those who wish can sign this document through this link https://forms.gle/rBgVnP2Pi73hYPDs9