Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

June 16, 2008

Kahentinetha Horn attacked at border

Kahentinetha Horn, beaten at border by officers and hospitalized after heart attack; Katenies beaten and jailed

By Brenda Norrell
Human Rights Editor
U.N. OBSERVER & International Report at the Hague
http://www.unobserver.com/

Update: Telephone interview on Tuesday afternoon with Katenies, beaten by Canadian police and border agents. Kahentinetha remains in the hospital, condition unknown, after suffering a heart attack in custody

AKWESASNE -- Mohawk grandmothers Kahentinetha Horn and Katenies were in custody at the US/Canadian border, when the two women were handcuffed and beaten by gangs of officers and border patrol agents on Saturday, June 14, 2008. Eight officers beat Kahentinetha, 68 years old, and five officers beat Katenies. Kahentinetha, publisher of Mohawk Nation News, suffered a heart attack and is in a Canadian hospital. Katenies has been released from a Canadian jail and is in seclusion.
Katenies, in a telephone interview on Tuesday afternoon, described the police attack on the women at the border. Katenies said the women were returning to Canada from a visit in the US, when they were stopped at the border. After the women showed their Haudenosaunee identification, they were told the IDs were not sufficient and they were detained.
Katenies was told she had an earlier warrant. She had refused to recognize the authority of the Canadian government over her. In the earlier case she had stopped at a border check and was granted permission to pass, but border agents later claimed she was not cleared to pass. When she refused to recognize the authority of the Canadian government over her, a warrant resulted.
On Saturday, when Katenies refused to get out of the car, five huge Canadian officers and border agents jumped on her, dragged her out and threw her to the concrete, grinding her chin into the concrete.
"I went down so fast, they had knees in my back and kidneys. They were like a football team on me and they acted like they had no boundaries."
"They told me if I didn't cooperate, they would break my arms."As officers attacked Katenies, Kahentinetha was on her cell phone calling family members and authorities for help.
When Kahentinetha refused to hang up, eight officers attacked her.
Katenies was placed in a cell and could hear the officers bring in Kahentinetha. Katenies could hear Kahentinetha yelling for them to loosen the handcuffs. By the screams of pain, Katenies said it sounded like the police were continuing to tighten the handcuffs as Kahentinetha cried out.
Kahentinetha was handcuffed in a stress hold. The handcuffs cut off Kahentinetha's circulation and she suffered a heart attack. A family member arrived at the same time and was able to get an ambulance immediately for Kahentinetha and she was transported to a hospital.
Katenies was transported to jail in Cornwall, where she remained from Saturday until Monday evening. Katenies said the women were not charged, but were told they would be charged at a later date.
Kahentinetha remains in the hospital, with family present, and her condition is unknown.
A member of the Mohawk Warrior Society said, "They did this because we have the greatest weapon, the truth, and what Kahentinetha writes is the truth. They are terrified of the truth. What they are trying to do is provoke the Mohawks." He said ultimately what they want is to provoke the Mohawks into a confrontation so the Mohawks who are resisting will be shot and killed. He said the Canadian government's plan was to assassinate Kahentinetha.

Monday
By Brenda Norrell
Kahentinetha Horn, publisher of Mohawk Nation News, was beaten by special forces at the US/Canadian border and suffered a heart attack. Kahentinetha is currently hospitalized in Canada. Katenies, who was accompanying her, was taken to prison at an undisclosed location. Please read the following message, which has been confirmed as true, and contact the leaders of Canada and demand both women be released and justice served to the perpetrators.
Kahentinetha's articles on sovereignty, mining on Indigenous lands, corruption and border rights have made her a priority target of the Canadian government for assassination. While on the Arizona border in November, at the Indigenous Border Summit of the Americas II, she challenged the Tohono O'odham Nation's incarceration of Indigenous migrants in the outdoor "cage," construction of the border vehicle barrier through the ceremonial route and the digging up of O'odham ancestors for the border wall by the contractor Boeing.
As the borders were increasingly militarized by Homeland Security and Canadian corporations increasingly seized Indigenous Peoples lands for mining, Kahentinetha and Katenies, were targeted with death threats.
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:42 pm Post subject: Kahentinetha Horn, Katenies attacked at the border!
ONE ELDER SAVED BY A HEART ATTACK - ANOTHER ELDER MISSING IN ACTION: MOHAWK GRANDMOTHERS ATTACKED AT CANADA-US BORDER CROSSING ON UNCEDED HAUDENOSAUNEE LAND
Monday, June 16, 2008Mohawk Elder and Grandmother, Kahentinetha Horn suffered a heart attack, Saturday, June 14, 2008 during a vicious, unprovoked assault by OPP and border agents at Cornwall, in Akwesasne community. She had been beaten and handcuffed when she collapsed. Earlier when she was pulled over, Kahentinetha immediately contacted her brother, a lawyer, on her cellphone. The entire incident was being filmed as her brother rushed to the scene just in time to call an ambulance for her.Meanwhile, Elder and Grandmother Katenies of Akwesasne was beaten and taken prisoner to an as yet undisclosed location. We are very concerned about her safety. We demand to know of her whereabouts and that she be> released immediately. A few months ago, Julian Fantino put out the word, warning Kahentinetha not to set foot in Ontario or else. She is the publisher of MNN and regular internet reports that are very critical of police and government actions toward Indigenous people. Her articles often clearly state the legalities/realities of the situation that Canada is a corporation plundering unceded Turtle Island. The land and resources belong to the Ongwehoneh people. Canada's huge debt to us will bankrupt them forever.The other day, while Stephen Harper was making a public apology to Indigenous for the crimes of the residential schools, he was also preparing to send the army in at 6 nations. Brantford city mayor has requested it, stating his city police cannot handle another "Mohawk uprising", in other words, peaceful protests against housing development where non resident, non Natives attack the protesters while the police watch. The Ontario Conservatives call for military intervention every day. On Saturday, border agents were pulling over every Native person. Kahentinetha and Katenies were traveling in Akwesasne in the course of their regular activities and were caught up in the dragnet. Did Fantino set up a trap for the two outspoken, Mohawk grandmothers? We suspect that Kahentinetha would have been killed at a secret location had she not had a heart attack and been taken to hospital. Immediately following this incident, many Mohawks and supporters started to gather at Akwesasne. Kahentinetha and Katenies' attackers want them to accept being Canadian or else they will kill them and anyone else who resists colonization. This low level warfare is playing out on the "border" between Canada and the US, an imaginary line drawn right through the Mohawk community of Akwesasne and through Haudenosaunee territory which is a vast area on BOTH sides of the Great Lakes. This Great Lakes area is also a proposed center for the NWO. Many military plans are underway including nuclear submarines in the Great Lakes and JTF2, Aerospace Warfare Center and NATO FOB (Forward Operating> Base) at a new base being built at Trenton, near Tyendinaga Mohawk community. Tyendinaga was attacked by OPP/SWAT in April when Mohawks protested housing development there. If Canadians are so damned sorry about the abuse of Native people, why is this still happening? Why do people remain silent when Mohawk elders and grandmothers are attacked like this? We are under constant surveillance> and threats and attacks while our land continues to be plundered and pillaged. Was this a failed assassination attempt ordered by Julian> Fantino, commissioner of OPP and head of the biggest gang in the area? We must demand answers and get answers. This attempted genocide must cease. We will never give up.>> Call or write to politicians, media, action lists including international. Get the word out now!!! K..... will be speaking with Kevin Annett on live radio today at 4:30 pmMontreal time.Iakoha'ko:wa Sharbot Lake, Haudenosaunee Territory PLEASE SEND YOUR OBJECTIONS TO: QUEENIE ELIZABETH II, Buckingham Palace,>> LONDON UK; Governor General MICHAELLE "Haitian-Against-the-Nation" JEAN, 1>> Rideau Hall, OTTAWA, ONTARIO info@gg.ca; Canada Prime Minister STEPHEN>> HARPER, House of Commons, OTTAWA, ONTARIO harper.s@parl.gc.ca; Ontario Premier DALTON McGUINTY, Queen's Park, TORONTO, ONTARIO mcguinty.D@parl.gc.ca; United Nations unat@un.org; Indian Affairs Minister Strahl.c@parl.gc.ca; Brantford Mayor Michael Hancock 519-759-3330 nborowicz@brantford.ca; Ontario Attorney General 416-326-2220 or 1-800-518-7901; Minister Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Michael Bryant % Lars.Eedy@ontario.ca, Neil Smitheman, Brantford ambulance chaser n.smitheman@fasken.com 416-868-3441; Aaron Detlor adetlor@sympatico.ca; Bev Jacobs bjacobs@nwac.hq.org; Julian Fantino OPP Commissioner julian.fantino@jus.gov.on.ca; s "Paul Leblanc of \"Indian\" Affairs" , Sylvia McKenzie Justice Canada , Emanuel Chabot Public Affairs 7 Emergency Preparedness, Louis-Alesandre Guay "Justice Canada lguay"@justice.gc.ca, Gilles Rochon Aboriginal Policing> , "Chuck Strahl Minister of \"Indian\" Affairs" See http://www.mohawknationnews.com/
Update re Kahentinetha Horn - Mohawk Grandmothers Attacked at Canada-US Border Crossing
June 16, 2008 1pmKahentinetha Horn has been transferred to an Ottawa hospital while the whereabouts of Katenies remain unknown. Outrage is growing in Indian country. Who will be next in the roundups? There is no doubt that this incident 'an attempt to take a human life', of Kahentinetha Horn - makes the false apology given by the Harper government to Native peoples for past tortures and maltreatment completely null and void.
Token drugstore Indians like Phil Fontaine paraded around on TV to receive this apology are all on government payrolls. They represent and speak for no one but the government. It shows the hypocrisy insidiously embedded in the Harper government.This incident was not carried out by regular border patrol personnel. It was carried out by a team of professionals who are installed at this particular border crossing for the sole purpose of apprehending Miss Horn and doing away with her permanently.
Behaviours and actions like this only come about when ordered and sanctioned by the highest levels of Harper's government and CSIS. This attempt on Miss Horn's life failed this time, but we are confident that Harper, CSIS and Fantino will continue in their efforts to silence Ms Horn forever. This attempt is just a variation of extraordinary rendition where one is whisked away to an undisclosed location, tortured and later found dead in a ditch somewhere.Karakwine will be speaking with Kevin Annett on live radio today at 4:30 pm Montreal time. Stop the Genocide. Speak out while you still can!!!Iakoha'ko:waSharbot Lake, Haudenosaunee TerritoryPLEASE SEND YOUR OBJECTIONS TO: QUEENIE ELIZABETH II, Buckingham Palace,LONDON UK; Governor General MICHAELLE "Haitian-Against-the-Nation" JEAN, 1Rideau Hall, OTTAWA, ONTARIO info@gg.ca; Canada Prime Minister STEPHENHARPER, House of Commons, OTTAWA, ONTARIO harper.s@parl.gc.ca; OntarioPremier DALTON McGUINTY, Queen's Park, TORONTO, ONTARIOmcguinty.D@parl.gc.ca; United Nations unat@un.org; Indian Affairs MinisterStrahl.c@parl.gc.ca; Brantford Mayor Michael Hancock 519-759-3330nborowicz@brantford.ca; Ontario Attorney General 416-326-2220 or 1-800-518-7901;Minister Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Michael Bryant % Lars.Eedy@ontario.ca ;Neil Smitheman, Brantford ambulance chaser n.smitheman@fasken.com 416-868-3441;Aaron Detlor adetlor@sympatico.ca; Bev Jacobs bjacobs@nwac.hq.org; Julian FantinoOPP Commissioner julian.fantino@jus.gov.on.ca; s"Paul Leblanc of \"Indian\" Affairs" , Sylvia McKenzie Justice Canada , Emanuel Chabot Public Affairs 7 Emergency Preparedness , Louis-Alesandre Guay <"Justice Canada lguay"@justice.gc.ca>, Gilles Rochon Aboriginal Policing , "Chuck Strahl Minister of \"Indian\" Affairs" Seehttp://www.mohawknationnews.com/

1 comment:

How Kuff said...

This is a very sad recurring story of international politics destroying indigenous people. It is high time for the State nations of our planet to recognize the importance of global resources, affairs and problems. We are linked together in so many ways, but the attitudes and practices of the NationStates force irrelevant differences upon us. The Mohawks of Akwesasne attempt to live in independence across political divides --- in violation of the tenets of the NationStates. They discuss and respond to environmental and political activities across those divides and advocate for others to do so as well. Much honor and respect to them.

In the 21st century we are being forced into a global view of affairs. The world has become much more connected and much smaller. Our problems and their solutions cross political boundaries. In the process of realizing our world citizenship we come to respect and acknowledge the importance and power of indigenous people and culture who exist independently from the economics and politics of the NationStates… cultures that relate to Gaia through everyday practices of living… an art and ideal quite hidden in our global power structure. www.changing-history.com