As part of a cross-Canada speaking tour, community leaders from Guatemala provided a first-hand account of the situation around Tahoe’s Escobal mine, located in southeastern Guatemala. This is a true story of Canadian-sponsored abuses; Guatemalans and Canadians are seeking a way forward to achieve justice and respect for communities.
Tens of thousands of people living near the Escobal mine project have participated in 14 referenda and voted against mining. More than half of the communities in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores, where the project is located, have also declared their opposition. Meanwhile, the company’s former head of security is under arrest awaiting trial for allegedly having ordered security guards to fire on protesters, while many community members and leaders have faced unfounded criminal charges.
Watch their powerful testimonies below!
Part 1: Oscar Morales – Representative of the Committee of Life and Peace of San Rafael Las Flores
Part 2: Celeste Gutierrez – Representative of the Catholic Church Committee in Defence of Nature
Part 3: Rafael Maldonado – Environmental, Human Rights and Social Lawyer, representative of the Center for Environmental Legal and Social Action in Guatemala
Part 4:
This tour is an initiative of the Coalition Against Unjust Mining in Guatemala in support of the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability’s “Open for Justice” campaign. The campaign calls for legislated access to Canadian courts for people who have been harmed by the international operations of Canadian companies and for the creation of an extractive-sector Ombuds office in Canada mandated to investigate accusations of abuses and make recommendations to the government and the companies involved.
See our press release regarding the tour HERE
Endorsed by: MiningWatch Canada, Mining Injustice Solidarity Network, Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network, Amnesty International Business and Human Rights Group