Peru: “Freedom Camp” Raises Awareness of Possible TPP Consequences · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages, except where otherwise noted]
Activists and internet users in Peru gathered at “Freedom Camp” (Campamento por la Libertad) to participate in a marathon of talks and workshops about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) [en].
The purpose of Freedom Camp was to gather activists, designers, LINUXers, audiovisual artists, attorneys, and communicators together in one place to get them working for a freer, more informed society.
The Camp was held in Lima on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, 2013, and was organized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation [en], the NGO Hiperderecho, Escuelab and the Asociación Peruana de Software Libre (Peruvian Association for Free Software), four online legal organizations.
This video, which added a bit of rhythm to the overarching theme of Internet freedom, was a focal point in bringing the conference together:
Prior to the Camp, activists for Internet freedom participated in the Festival de Instalación de Software Libre 2013 (FLISOL) (Festival for Free Software Installation 2013) in North Lima. Miguel Morachimo from Hiperderecho spoke about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), its current negotiations, and the next steps in the grassroots campaign. Katitza Rodríguez from the Electronic Frontier Foundation [en], presented on the work of her organization and the importance of the involvement of civil society in discussions about the Internet.
The Camp began with a set of interventions to clarify the various TPP concepts which could seriously affect us, such as intellectual property, freedom of expression on the Internet, and even our own natural resources.
The following video, produced by Julio Gonzáles of Tomate Colectivo, captures a few highlights of these interventions:
Since a majority of the attendees were Internet aficionados, some interesting tools were created at the conference. For example:
There is also a new website, No Negociable! (“Non-Negotiable!”), the response of a campaign organized by an alliance of Peruvian civil society organizations, concerned about the impact that the Trans-Pacific Partnership could have on various sectors. Some of these Organizations are: Red Peruana por una Globalización con Equidad (RedGE) (Peruvian Network for Equitable Globalization); Acción Internacional por la Salud (AIS) (International Health Initiative); Red Peruana de Pacientes y Personas Usuarias (RPPU) (Peruvian Network of Patients and Internet Users); Cooperacción – Acción Solidaria para el Desarrollo (Cooperaction – Solidarity Initiative for Development); Red Uniendo Manos contra la Pobreza; the NGO Hiperderecho (Hyperlaw); and others.
This campaign includes a petition directed to the President of the Republic, Ollanta Humala, which, among other things, points out:
No aceptar condiciones en el capítulo de propiedad intelectual que pongan en riesgo la Internet, nuestra libertad de expresión y nuestra capacidad de investigar e innovar usando el arte y la tecnología.
We do not accept the conditions in the chapter on intellectual property that put the Internet, our freedom of expression, and our capacity to investigate and innovate using art and technology at risk.
There was also a video showing Peruvians expressing their concerns about the implementation of TPP and how this would affect them:
As you can see, people are beginning to organize, and there will very likely be more activity in the days prior to and during the next round of Trans-pacific Bargaining Agreement negotiations, set to take place from the 15th to the 24th of this month in Lima. To continue the conversation on this topic, use hashtag #YaraTPP on Twitter or follow @yaratpp.
Related Posts:
Peru: How Will the TPP Affect Users?
TPP: Biggest Threat to Global Internet Since ACTA?