ARGENTINE QOM INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST FELIX DIAZ BORN
Diaz grew up in the Qom community of Potae Napoqna Navogoh (Colonia la Primavera). He joined the army, but left after learning of the abuses it was committing against Argentine civilians. In 2010, he led protests over the building of a student institute on land to which his Qom community claimed title. The protests closed National Route 86 and Díaz and other Qom activists were charged criminally for taking over lands. Protests moved to Buenos Aires where Diaz met with Pope Francis over the events. In April 2012, the case against Díaz and the Qom protesters was dismissed. In 2014, Díaz presented the cause of Indigenous peoples in Argentina before the United Nations. In March 2016, Secretary for Human Rights Claudio Avruj reached an agreement with Indigenous leaders to create a Consultative and Participative Council for Indigenous Peoples. This Council was inaugurated on July 15, 2016, with Díaz appointed president. He currently still holds that title.
Sources: “Argentina indigenous chieftain leads fight to reclaim ancestral land,” The Guardian, 7/5/2015. Retrieved 9/22/2022, Argentina indigenous chieftain leads fight to reclaim ancestral land | Argentina | The Guardian Wikipedia Photo: Gelpgim22 (Sergio Moises Panei Pitrau), 8/31/2015. Permissive Use.
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