Canadian Capital

Maya K’iche’ defender Lucía Ixchíu on extractivism in Guatemala; notes the support of PBI in Berlin and Hamburg

Photo of Lucía Ixchíu from Latin America Bureau by Eliana Lafone. Lucía Ixchíu describes herself as: “K’iche, tree of the Forest, anti-patriarchal, cultural manager, journalist and indigenous storyteller, architect (Mayan in exile).” In this interview with Linda Etchart for Latin America Bureau, “Lucía explains that Guatemalan Indigenous peoples continue to Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

PBI-Colombia accompanies the CSPP at Roundtable meeting visibilizing the criminalization of social leaders who opposed Frontera Energy

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project accompanied the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP) at the recent meeting of the Roundtable for Human Rights in the face of corporate power (la Mesa por los DDHH frente al poder empresarial) and the United Nations Business and Human Rights Working Group. Agencia Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

EDC loans up to $200 million to Coastal GasLink after hearing Wet’suwet’en speak about RCMP C-IRG violence

Photo: Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na’moks and land defender Eve Saint meet with EDC in Ottawa, October 16, 2023. The National Observer reports: “Canada provided up to $200 million to pipeline company Coastal Gaslink, recently updated financial data reveals — an apparent violation of a commitment to phase out fossil fuel Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

PBI-Guatemala accompanies the Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Council of Olopa in court, hearing postponed to February 2025

Photo by Prensa Comunitaria. On July 18, PBI-Guatemala posted: “Today members of the Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Council of Olopa face a hearing in a process of criminalizing their right to defend their territory Ch’orti’.” That evening, the Consejo Indígena Maya Ch’orti’ de Olopa Chiquimula posted on their Facebook page an Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

PBI-Honduras accompanies CEHPRODEC on a visit to communities in the municipality of San Esteban in Olancho

On July 12, PBI-Honduras posted: “In recent days, we accompanied @Cehprodechn on a visit to communities in the municipality of San Esteban (Olancho). We highlight the tireless work of CEHPRODEC to promote food sovereignty and #agroecology in the communities of the department of #Olancho.” In October 2019, Defensores en linea reported: Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

Mexican megaproject implicated in 226 attacks against community defenders promoted in Spain, Germany, Belgium and the US

Video: Margherita Forni of PBI-Mexico (in green vest) speaks (starting at 35:26) at the observation mission media conference, July 27, 2023. On June 27, El Universal Oaxaca reported: “The Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) project has been developed in Oaxaca through authoritarian methods that include cases of Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

21 Canadian companies implicated in 88 attacks against human rights defenders over the past nine years

Photo: Several land and territory defenders in the community of Azacualpa, Honduras, were arbitrarily detained on May 11, 2019, when protesting the mining company Minerales de Occidente, a subsidiary of Aura Minerals. A preliminary review of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRCC) database finds that 21 Canadian companies Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

PBI-Honduras marks June 28, Pride Day and the 15th anniversary of the coup and the murder of trans rights defender Vicky Hernandez

PBI-Honduras has posted: “Today [June 28], we celebrate International LGTBI+ Pride Day and commemorate the 2009 coup d’état. We also commemorate the life of trans advocate Vicky Hernandez: she was assassinated exactly 15 years ago, on the same day of the coup. Since the coup, LGTBI+ organizations have registered a Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

TC Energy may have launched “geo-fenced” ad campaign to counter visit of Wet’suwet’en and Otomi land defenders to Toronto and Ottawa

Image from The Narwhal of British Columbia attorney general Niki Sharma, former TC Energy director Liam Iliffe, and premier David Eby. At an internal company presentation on February 22, 2024, TC Energy’s B.C. director of operations Liam Iliffe appeared to discuss “case studies” of the tactics the company uses to Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

UN Special Rapporteur says Canada fails to protect human rights defenders who raise concerns about Canadian companies

The Globe and Mail reports: “The federal government’s failure to protect human-rights advocates who raise concerns over the activity of Canadian corporations abroad is tarnishing the country’s global reputation, a United Nations official said in an interview.” “Mary Lawlor, the UN special rapporteur on human-rights defenders, said Canada should strengthen Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago