PBI-Mexico accompanies Consorcio Oaxaca on tour of impacts of wind farms on Union Hidalgo

On October 18, the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project posted, “Today we are accompanying a tour of the Isthmus with defenders of the land and territory of Union Hidalgo, who showed us the impacts of wind farms in the municipality.”

El Universal has reported, “The agrarian community of Union Hidalgo defends its right to land, territory and natural assets before the wind industry that is settling in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec [in the state of Oaxaca] without respecting the communal character of the land, nor the human rights of the Indigenous peoples.”

A PBI-Mexico post in July noted, “They have a history of resistance against the arrival of five wind megaprojects and other miners in their territory. There are approximately 300 wind towers that are intended to be installed in areas with a large presence of trees and natural reserves.”

The PBI-Mexico briefing paper Wind Farms and Concerns about Human Rights Violations in Oaxaca states, “Throughout 2013, PBI observed with concern an increase in the level of violence in the context of wind farms, particularly against [human rights defenders] and community leaders whose work involves the defence of those affected by these developments.”

That paper adds, “PBI believes that [human rights defenders] are essential actors in promoting environmental and social justice, highlighting the importance of respecting human rights norms in the context of large scale economic projects.”

On July 19, PBI-Mexico accompanied Los Comuneros Zapotecas de Unión Hidalgo at their event celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Presidential Resolution of Communal Property.

On September 12, PBI-Mexico accompanied Codigo DH at a public information session on the SET – IXTEPEC POTENCIA transmission line project in Unión Hidalgo. That transmission line would carry power generated by wind turbines on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

The October 18 post notes that PBI-Mexico accompanied Consorcio Oaxaca during the International Mission for Observation and Documentation of the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Oaxaca.