Navajo Nation responds to State Department on human rights

Navajo Nation responds to State Department on human rights
Tuesday, October 19, 2010


The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission says the U.S. government is failing to live up to its promises to indigenous people.

The commission said the government recognizes tribal sovereignty. But a report says the government has a poor record when it comes to sacred sites, religious freedom, forced relocation and self-determination.

"Today, the Navajo Nation occupies and utilizes the resources of over 27,000 square miles of land," the report stated. "However, the Navajo Nation is deprived of the inherent right and authority to exercise the full authority and management of surface and subsurface resources."

The report is the tribe's official response to the State Department, which recently submitted its own report for the United Nations Universal Periodic Review. Paragraphs 38-42, starting on page 11, discuss "Fairness, equality, and Native Americans."

Get the Story:
Navajo tribe blasts U.S. human rights track record (The Farmington Daily Times 10/19)