Communication pursuant to resolution 1503 (XLVIII)

As the appointed elders of the Barabaig people, we have been authorised to present this communication on their behalf to the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. 2. The Barabaig have been the victims of gross and persistent violations of their human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Government of Tanzania. We have been arbitrarily deprived of lands we are legally entitled to occupy, and of our only means of subsistence. When we have attempted to obtain redress through the courts in Tanzania, the Government has enacted retrospective legislation to defeat our claims. When we have challenged the validity of that legislation, the Government has enacted new laws which purport to abolish customary land rights altogether. These laws have made it impossible for us to protect our homesteads and land against encroachment, and spell disaster for our people.