Our land is not for sale. The United States thinks it can do whatever it wants, but we know and our children and grandchildren will know that we never sold our land.
(Carrie Dann Speech, November 7, 2003)
In 2002, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a decision stating that the United States is violating the Danns’ (Western Shoshone) human rights by its claims of ownership to their traditional lands. After winning this victory in the Inter-American system, the Center continued to represent Carrie Dann before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights concerning the refusal of the United States to comply with the Commission’s 2002 decision. In the time since the Inter-American Commission issued its final report in 2002, the United States has done nothing to attempt to remedy its human rights violations. Instead, the United States has intensified its tactics to intimidate and threaten the Western Shoshone people. In order to draw attention to these ongoing abuses, we made significant efforts to refocus the international spotlight on the United States’ failure to respect human rights through advocacy before other international tribunals, particularly the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the UN Human Rights Committee. In addition to our international advocacy, we worked to inform and mobilize other tribes that have land rights concerns similar to the Western Shoshone. It is our hope that these efforts have not only increased the international community’s support for Carrie Dann and other Western Shoshone people, but will also result in the United States conducting a review of federal Indian law to ensure that all Indian property rights are determined in accordance with international human rights law.