At the request of the Puerto Rican section of the International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal held a session on the case of Puerto Rico in Barcelona from 27 to 29 January 1989. During the proceedings, the colonial nature of the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States was analysed, with the island’s political, economic, social and cultural situation being examined in light of international law and the principle of self-determination.
Through testimonies from legal, political and social organisations, the Tribunal documented the repression of independence movements, restrictions on civil rights, and social control practices. The session also examined the structural effects of colonial dependence in depth, including migration, economic transformation, linguistic and cultural imposition, militarisation of the territory, and the situation of Puerto Ricans in the United States.
Based on the evidence gathered, the Tribunal characterised the situation in Puerto Rico as a case of failed decolonisation. It recognised the existence of a national liberation movement and identified the completion of the decolonisation process, the establishment of a sovereign and independent state and the demilitarisation of the territory as essential conditions for exercising the right to self-determination.
Requesting organisations: Puerto Rican section of the International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples
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