Paraguay Indigenous protest for land rights

Hundreds of Indigenous people from multiple ethnicities protested peacefully in Paraguay's capital on Tuesday, demanding the return of colonized land.

The protest in Asuncion comes weeks after the passing of a law that punishes with criminal charges land invasions.

It would affect several Indigenous communities who reside on improvised settlements pending the restitution of their lands.

October 12 also marks the start of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Mario Rivarola, a member of the Indigenous Network for a Dignified Life, said the day was "painfully" known as an Indigenous celebration because it is also a reminder of the violence and displacement.

Another member of the network, Mauricio Franco, said Indigenous people from Paraguay remain less privileged than foreigners who settled on what was once their land.