Mining

Report says threat of free trade agreement lawsuits may have impeded action against Los Pinares and Aura Minerals mines in Honduras

On October 3, a 136-page report was released titled The Corporate Assault on Honduras: How mafia-style investments undermine the Honduran people’s struggle for democracy and dignity (available in Spanish here). The report authored by Luciana Ghiotto, Jen Moore, Aldo Orellana López, Karen Spring and Manuel Pérez-Rocha was published by the Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

Indigenous land defenders from Ecuador face the risk of reprisal after speaking against Canadian mining companies

Photo: Ivonne Ramos, Hortencia Zhagüi, Rachel Lim (Amnesty International), Louise Casselman (Public Service Alliance of Canada/PSAC), Zenaida Yasacama and Fanny Kaekat at public forum in Ottawa, October 3, 2024. Photo by Laura Avalos (PSAC). CBC News reports: “Indigenous women from Ecuador are in Ottawa this week raising concerns a proposed Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

100+ organizations call for rigorous investigation into the masterminds behind the murder of Juan López

Photo of Juan Lopez from Criterio.hn. Criterio.hn now reports: “More than 100 civil society organizations have raised their voices in an urgent appeal to the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, following the murder of environmental defender Juan López on September 14 in Tocoa.” That letter (dated September 27 and posted Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

PBI-Guatemala accompanies San Francisco Quezaltepeque Indigenous Community at hearing of criminalized ancestral authority

On September 13, PBI-Guatemala posted: “Yesterday, #PBI accompanies the San Francisco Quezaltepeque Indigenous Community to the third public and oral debate hearing of an ancestral authority of San José Cubiletas criminalised for his work in defence of the territory. The prosecuted facts occurred on 27 August 2021 when personnel linked Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

PBI-Mexico accompanied María Eugenia Gabriel Ruiz meets with UN Special Rapporteur on the right to water

This morning, PBI-Mexico posted: “Yesterday, Mª Eugenia de la @redsolidariaDH was able to speak with the Special Rapporteur Pedro Arrojo @SRWatSan about the challenges and impacts faced by the communities of Michoacán regarding access to water due to its indiscriminate use in monocultures and mining activities.” María Eugenia Gabriel Ruiz, Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

Global Witness “Missing Voices” report identifies mining as the biggest industry driver of defenders killed in 2023

Video: Laura Furones: “The question around who is responsible really is one of the key questions.” The Global Witness report — Missing Voices: The violent erasure of land and environment defenders – released this week says: “Establishing a direct relationship between the murder of a defender and specific corporate interests Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

PBI-Guatemala accompanies Indigenous Community of San Francisco Quezaltepeque in opposition to Canadian mining company

The Indigenous Community of San Francisco Quezaltepeque has posted on Facebook: “Today, August 9, we celebrate the international day of indigenous peoples from our Mayan Ch’orti’ territory in the sacred place 11 aj y cruz de la ermita, in the indigenous community of Quezaltepeque. With the participation of the ancestral Read more…

By Brent Patterson, ago

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-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