On August 27, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted on social media:
“#PBI accompanies the Ch’orti Maya Indigenous Council of Olopa Chiquimula on a peaceful walk around the Los Manantiales Mine to denounce the company’s failure to respect the Constitutional Court rulings, which included the injunction for the suspension of its operations, the reforestation of the waste dump, and the cleanup of ballast and waste dumped in the communities. The Council requested the presence of the municipal mayor, who ultimately did not attend.
‘The Ch’orti are an intelligent people, a hardworking people, and we are driven by justice. We are a people in resistance who lend our time and sacrifice our lives and bodies to defend our common home from mining’, said Ovidio Alonzo, Indigenous and Ancestral Authority.”
The Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Council of Olopa also posted on social media:
“The Ch’orti’ Maya Indigenous Council of Olopa, together with the Communities in resistance against mining, are holding a peaceful march to denounce the pollution, criminalization and human rights violations at the Los Manantiales Quarry mine located between the communities of La Prensa and Carrizal in the municipality of Olopa, Chiquimula. In Guatemala City, the Nim Ajpu Association of Mayan Lawyers and Notaries of Guatemala met with the Presidential Commission for Conflict Resolution (COPRECON) to expose that the company continues to operate without an environmental license. #ChortiOlopaResistance #righttoresistance”
The Council
PBI-Guatemala has previously explained: “The Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Council of Olopa are fighting for recognition as indigenous communities, the recovery of their spirituality, the defense of their territory and the right to free, prior and informed consultation before the entry of mining projects into their territory. They also seek to minimize the negative impacts of mining activities on the health of the people in their communities, denounce illegal logging and fight against gender violence in their communities.”
Accompaniment
Peace Brigades International began accompanying the Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Council of Olopa in June 2021, following their request, which is based on the serious increase in security incidents, defamation and criminalization processes they are experiencing.
