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PBI-Mexico accompanies Nahua water protector Miguel López Vega as he faces hearing for his defence of the Metlapanapa River

By
Brent Patterson
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On March 26, Sputnik Digital reporter Jaime López tweeted:

“Representatives of Peace Brigades International indicated that, in the last year, Mexico has become the most dangerous country for environmental defenders. They stressed that they will accompany the actions in favor of Miguel López Vega.”

Urbano explains:

“Representatives of Peace Brigades International (PBI) arrived in Puebla to observe the reactivation of the trial against the Nahua defender of the Metlapanapa River, Miguel López Vega.

At a media conference, where the activist appeared accompanied by defenders of land and water in the region of the volcanoes and Cholula, international activists expressed their concern that the Judiciary of Puebla will reopen a case judged three years ago.

They denounced that the prosecution against the activist by the State of Puebla constitutes acts of harassment and repression against citizen protest.

“These reprisals are related to the protest of the right to defend water and to defend the self-determination of peoples and the defense of territory, land and life,” said the representatives of Peace Brigades International.

They also said that Mexico became the most dangerous country for environmental defenders, so they will be present as observers at the hearing to be held next Wednesday, March 29, at 1:30 in the afternoon, at the House of Justice in Cholula, Puebla.

On October 30, 2019, Miguel led a blockade of the road leading to the Hermanos Serdán airport, municipality of Juan C. Bonilla.

Three months after this protest that ended with the intervention of the State Police, the National Guard and the Mexican Army, Miguel was arrested, accused of obstruction of public works, use of explosives and attacks on communication routes; Only the last offence was confirmed, and he was released on 29 January 2020.”

El Sol de Puebla also reports:

“López Vega, together with national and international civil groups, convened a press conference on Sunday, March 26, to pronounce against this series of legal actions.

Representatives of the Peace Brigades International (PBI) attended the event convened by Puebla activists, and indicated that the international community observes with concern the reactivation of the trial against López Vega.

Specifically, they denounced that the judicialization against the activist, by the State of Puebla, constitutes acts of harassment and repression against citizen protest.”

And Angulo 7 adds:

“[López Vega] recalled that since 2019, Ciudad Textil and the Water and Sanitation Commission of Puebla (Ceaspue) have been seeking to build a storm drain for the discharges from this industrial corridor, which would flow into the Metlapanapa River, despite the fact that it discharges heavy metals that are “highly polluting”.

In October of that year, there was a confrontation between the inhabitants and the State Police, National Guard and the Army due to their protest.

On 24 January 2020, López Vega was arrested for obstruction of public works by not allowing their construction, damage to roads and means of transport, for allegedly detonating a Molotov cocktail bomb against a vehicle.

For his part, Juan Carlos Flores Solís, one of his lawyers, commented that this new hearing “is illegal”, since the National Code of Criminal Procedures establishes that in the initial hearing it is not necessary for all those involved to be present, since the presence of three people, the Public Prosecutor, the accused and his defence counsel, is sufficient, and the presence of the injured party, which in this case is Ceaspue, is not necessary.

In view of this situation, he said that “there is fear” that the activist could be imprisoned again, which he considered to be an attempt to put pressure on the inhabitants and that the businessmen of this textile zone could conclude with the collector project, given that it has been detained since 2020 due to appeals from the inhabitants of the zone.

For this reason, López Vega, together with the organisations, asked the governor Sergio Salomón Céspedes Peregrina to establish a dialogue with the activists in the region, with the aim of putting an end to the “persecution of the activist” and to ensure that there are no more similar cases.

They also complained that no company or ex-officials are being tried for the contamination of the various tributaries that make up the Alto Atoyac basin, such as the Metlapanapa River, despite the fact that Alfredo Ávila Salazar, of Ceaspue, was denounced before the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office for diverting around one billion pesos that were intended for the clean-up of the river and for being the driving force behind the project.

Finally, they informed that there will be various activities prior to this event, such as a virtual forum on Monday about the activist’s situation, a demonstration on Tuesday at 10am outside the judicial city and a rally at the Casa de Justicia on Wednesday in the context of López Vega’s hearing at half past one in the afternoon.”

The three news articles can be read at: Brigadas Internacionales de Paz llegan a Puebla para juicio contra defensor del río Metlapalapa (Pueblo),  Citan a activista Miguel López por delitos “no probados” hace 3 años, acusan (Angulo 7) and Miguel López, activista en defensa del agua, será juzgado nuevamente (El Sol de Puebla).

Past accompaniments of Miguel López Vega.

New report documents how crowd-control weapons impact health and human rights

By
Brent Patterson
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A new report titled Lethal in Disguise 2: How Crowd-Control Weapons Impact Health and Human Rights documents the dangers of these weapons used by security forces around the world, including in Colombia.

It calls on governments to respect human rights commitments and to end impunity when violations are committed by state forces during protests.

The report was produced by the Geneva-based International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations (INCLO) and the New York-based Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) in collaboration with the Manchester-based Omega Research Foundation.

It begins: “Public protests have surged across the world in recent years, often led by grassroots movements seeking to challenge social and economic injustices, express discontent and demand transformative change from their governments. …Law enforcement and security forces have frequently responded to these protests with excessive force and violence that fundamentally undermine the rights to free expression and assembly.”

The report looks at different categories of crowd-control weapons (CCWs) including kinetic impact projectiles (rubber bullets), chemical irritants (tear gas and pepper spray), water cannons (with coloured dyes, chemical irritants and malodorants).

Colombia

The report notes:

– “In Colombia, the use of impact projectiles [KIPs] during the protests of the spring of 2021 resulted in more than one hundred ocular injuries.” (page 45)

– Dilan Cruz was killed by a bean bag fired from a 12-gauge shotgun by an ESMAD police officer (case study, pages 52-53)

Photo: The mother of Dilan Cruz (page 53). Photo by Ebastian Delgado C./ Shutterstock.

– “In Colombia, the use of the US-made ‘venom’ launchers, which can deploy dozens of grenades at once from stations mounted on vehicles, shields or static installations, led to the rapid diffusion of massive quantities of chemical irritants at protests across the country in 2021.” (page 67)

– “There is no evidence that Venom has been permanently retired from its use in Colombian law enforcement. Use of military-designed weapons, such as Venom, to police protests is indicative of a worrying trend towards violently suppressing the right to protest and freedom of expression.” (case study, pages 138-141)

Recommendations

Among its 67 recommendations (pages 154-165):

7- “International, regional and national controls should be adopted on the trade in CCWs and equipment. These should prohibit the trade in inherently abusive weapons and equipment and control the trade in CCWs that are misused to ensure that they are not used in human rights abuses.”

36-  “Kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs) can cause serious injuries, permanent disability, and death. Severe injuries are more likely when KIPs are fired at close range. When launched from afar, these weapons are often inaccurate and can strike vulnerable body parts or bystanders. Therefore, the medical evidence in this report underscores that KIPs should never be fired indiscriminately into groups and are, in general, an inappropriate weapon in any protest context.”

41- “Chemical irritants, when deployed using canisters or grenades, are inherently indiscriminate by nature, cause severe pain and injuries and frequently escalate tensions. Therefore, extreme caution must be used before and during deployment that considers the presence of bystanders and the existence of areas of egress and airflow to minimise any risk of overexposure due to the serious risk of injury.”

Photo: ESMAD riot police attack a protest with tear gas and stun grenades in Pasto, Narino on May 26, 2021. Photo by Camilo Erasso/ Long Visual Press/ Universal Images (page 139).

42-  “Chemical irritants that should be expressly prohibited in the context of protests due to the risk of death and serious injury include launchers that fire multiple chemical irritant canisters, such as the Venom system.”

44- “The use of water cannons against individuals at short ranges should be prohibited, owing to the risk of injury from the water jet itself or from injuries due to slips, trips, and falls secondary to the impact of a water cannon.”

65- “All deaths, injuries and suspected misuses of CCWs should be thoroughly investigated by a body independent of the implicated officials, with a view to establishing responsibilities and accountability of the officials involved, including the various levels of the command structure in charge during the incident. Where there is evidence of unlawful conduct, commanders and responsible officers should face administrative disciplinary measures and/or criminal prosecution, as appropriate.”

66- “Police officers under investigation for the misuse of CCWs or for any other abuse of force should be removed from active frontline duty or suspended until their case is resolved.”

The full 174-page report can be read at Lethal in Disguise 2: How Crowd-Control Weapons Impact Health and Human Rights.

—

Further reading: Canada must suspend weapons exports to Colombia (Amnesty International, June 28, 2021); 228 academics call on Canada to prohibit any future sale of weapons or light-armoured vehicles to Colombia (June 8, 2021) and PBI-Colombia accompanies NOMADESC and CSPP as they seek justice for the victims of police violence during the national strike (March 21, 2023).

PBI-Guatemala accompanies the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón as it files complaint with Public Ministry about threats

By
Brent Patterson
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On March 24, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“Today #PBI accompanies defenders of the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón to the Public Ministry of Cobán, where they denounced aggressions they suffer in their homes for defending their territory and rivers against hydroelectric projects.”

On March 8, PBI-Guatemala had also posted:

“#PBI accompanies to the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón visiting Q’eqchi’ defenders who receive threats for defending their territory and rivers.”

The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has accompanied the Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón since July 2017.

It has explained: “The Peaceful Resistance of Cahabón is made of more than 190 Q’eqchi’ communities who live in the Cahabón River basin. Since 2015 they have organized around defense of territory and against the launch of the OXEC I and OXEC II hydroelectric projects installed on the Oxec River, a tributary of the Cahabón River.”

It adds: “During the good-faith consultation [in August 2017] PBI accompanied the consultation process relating to the hydroelectric project installed on the Cahabón river basin, operated by OXEC SA, belonging to the Energy Resources Capital Corp group (ERCC).”

Hatch Ltd., a company founded in Toronto and now based in nearby Mississauga, was involved in the construction of the OXEC II dam.

NS Energy has reported: “Hatch would be engaged to deliver the conceptual design and detailed design-build-engineering for the Oxec II Hydroelectric Project.”

Commenting on OXEC II, Ian Ainslie, a Hatch project manager based in Niagara Falls, Ontario, noted: “Hatch has been active in developing hydroelectric sites in Guatemala for over 20 years.” And Hatch’s managing director of power, Jim Sarvinis, says: “Projects like Oxec II are exactly why we do the type of work we do at Hatch.”

In 2017, PBI-Guatemala noted: “On February 17 the Constitutional Court (CC) ordered to suspend the construction of Oxec I and Oxec II hydroelectric projects due to incompliance with Convention 169 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which establishes the right of indigenous peoples to be consulted on projects that affect them.”

OXEC II became operational in September 2018.

We continue to follow the Q’eqchi’ resistance to dams on the Cahabon River.

PBI-Guatemala accompanies Chinautla Multisector Urban Platform at their sit-in against sand extraction on Poqomám territory

By
Brent Patterson
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On March 24, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“#PBI accompanies the Multisectoral Chinautla and we visit their position in resistance to the sand extractivism that takes place in Poqomám territory.

The impacts on the environment and human health continue to deteriorate, while businesses continue to operate without a license.”

In July 2022, Factor 4 tweeted: “Indigenous authorities of the Poqomam people began a sit-in of resistance on Monday, June 27, against the illegal operation of the Piedrinera “San Luis” company. Yesterday they arrived at @MEMguatemala [Ministry of Energy and Mines] who confirmed that the sandlot does not have a valid license.”

Prensa Comunitaria has also reported:

“The indigenous authorities of the Poqomam people of the municipality of Chinautla began on Monday, June 27, a resistance sit-in for the illegal operation of the company called Piedrinera “San Luis”, which is dedicated to extracting sand in that place.

According to the indigenous authorities, on June 25, the company’s sand exploitation license expired to operate in the municipality; Despite this, they continue to extract illegally, they also operate in the municipality, without the people having been consulted if they agreed with the operation of said company in the place.

The ancestral authorities and inhabitants of Chinautla are in peaceful resistance, against the extraction of sand in their territory; the plantón is located at the entrance of the Santa Isabel farm, where the company operates. The villagers prevent the entry of trucks so that they stop extracting sand in the place.

According to the Peace Brigades International, PBI, since 1989, the Multisectorial of Chinautla defends its right to be consulted on the projects of several sand companies operating in its territory, including the Arenera “La Primavera”, Arenera “El Pino”, Piedrinera “San Luis” and Arenera “San Fernando” that also pollute the Las Vacas River, which passes through Chinautla.

PBI indicates that the region has been a sand zone for decades, but it was from 1995 when large-scale sand extraction began, with heavy machinery, an activity that entails a strong social and environmental impact in the area.”

The PBI-Guatemala Project has been accompanying the Chinautla Multisector Urban Platform since December 2018.

Canada to spend $7.3 billion on F-35 fighter-bomber bases in Alberta, Quebec, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Labrador

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo: An F-35 warplane at the northernmost US Air Force Base located 1,200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.

CBC reports: “Canada plans to invest $7.3 billion to upgrade its fighter jet bases and Far North landing strips to accommodate the air force’s new F-35s, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Friday [March 24] at the conclusion of a visit by U.S. President Joe Biden.”

That article adds: “As for upgrades to the two main fighter jet bases and the purchase of air-to-air refueling planes to support the F-35s, those projects aren’t expected to be ready until 2029. The air force has four northern landing strips, at Inuvik, Yellowknife, Iqaluit and Goose Bay. Improvements to those runways aren’t set to be completed for another 11 years.”

The two main fighter jet bases refer to CFB Cold Lake on Dene territory in Alberta and CFB Bagotville in Quebec. The landing strips, as the paragraph above notes, are in Inuvik, Yellowknife (Northwest Territories), Iqaluit (Nunavut) and Goose Bay (Labrador).

Photo of F-35 by Lockheed Martin.

Adding up the costs

In February 2021, the No Fighter Jets Coalition released this report that estimated the lifecycle costs of the fighter jet purchase at $76.8 billion.

In January 2023, Department of National Defence officials acknowledged the total cost would be about $70 billion.

Both estimates may be on the low side.

The No Fighter Jets Coalition report assumed the cost of munitions had been factored into the estimated acquisition cost. Last month, an Ottawa Citizen headline read: More than $6 billion earmarked for F-35 weapons – cost separate from aircraft purchase.

The coalition report also noted that “so far, $21.3 million has been awarded in infrastructure contracts” but that “much more could be spent”. From the CBC report, it appears we can also adjust the $21.3 million figure to $7.3 billion.

And at the time the report was released, the Canadian government had paid $689 million into the development of the F-35. With subsequent payments, the $689 million development figure is now closer to $955 million.

These updates might suggest an additional $13.9 billion could be added to the initial estimate of $76.8 billion two years ago.

A Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) report on the total cost of the F-35 warplane purchase is expected in the coming weeks.

Further reading:

– National Defence to spend $6.3 billion on air-to-air missiles for F-35 warplanes (February 13, 2023)

– Canada has paid $955 million for the development of the F-35 fighter-bomber with nuclear strike capabilities (January 11, 2023)

– Canadian government provides more than $525 million for housing – warplanes (December 23, 2022)

– What impact will Canadian F-35 warplanes at CFB Goose Bay have on Innu territory in Labrador? (February 21, 2023)

PBI-Colombia accompanies NOMADESC and Justice and Peace Commission on humanitarian caravan to advance peace talks

By
Brent Patterson
-

PBI-Colombia has posted:

“In January, PBI accompanied the Association for Research and Social Action (NOMADESC) and the Inter-Church Commission of Justice and Peace (JyP) in a humanitarian caravan in the context of negotiations between the government and the ELN.”

It further explains:

“Since his inauguration, the new president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has stated that the “Total Peace” policy is one of his priorities. The policy seeks to open dialogues and demobilize all illegal armed structures.

Since then, four of these groups have declared a ceasefire and, in November 2022, negotiations were reinstated with the ELN guerrilla (National Liberation Army), which had been suspended during the Iván Duque administration.

A bill to bring the other armed structures before the justice system is also planned. The government defines these groups as “high impact criminal groups,” that lack a political character and these would include structures that arose out of paramilitarism, such as the Gaitan Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC, in Spanish).

As negotiations between the Colombian government and the ELN enter the second phase, the challenges to achieve peace remain evident on a territorial level.

The objective of the caravan [that PBI accompanied]—which included high-level governmental representatives such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, ELN peace promoters, and Colombian and international civil society organizations—was to advance a partial agreement on humanitarian relief in two prioritized regions of the Colombian Pacific Coast.

Despite the fact that the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace and the Colombian Army had agreed on a peripheral military presence, at several points during the mission, PBI observed incursions of the XV Army Brigade. The military presence was interpreted as an intimidating act that put at risk the physical wellbeing of the communities since, historically, a militarization of the territory has not signified security guarantees for them.

During the humanitarian caravan, the importance of implementing the ceasefire, humanitarian de-mining, and conditions for the return of displaced communities, among other measures, was reiterated.

The communities expressed their concern regarding similar missions because, to date, the promises have not translated into concrete actions. On the contrary, the communities continue to be affected by a serious humanitarian crisis and the extent to which the armed actors are willing to lay down their arms is still in doubt.

Numerous voices also questioned the effectiveness of initiating negotiations between two actors, while the AGC reinforces its presence in the region amid a major military presence.

Additionally, there is concern about the persistence of illicit drugs being grown and trafficked under the control of armed structures, a factor that perpetuates violence in Colombia.

Without international measures and policies that lead to a global legalization of drug, efforts for “Total Peace” may fail, since this lucrative business could encourage the emergence of other drug trafficking groups, replacing the current structures as has happened in the past.

Among the most important conclusions of the humanitarian caravan is that the humanitarian relief measures to be defined in negotiations between the government and ELN must include an implementation and verification plan with community participation.”

Source: “Total Peace” in the face of territorial reality (PBI-Colombia, March 24, 2023).

PBI-Mexico and PBI-Germany meet with the Cerezo Committee in Mexico City

By
Brent Patterson
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On March 24, the Cerezo Committee posted:

“Thanks for the view and the talk with a member of the Peace Brigades International Germany and a member of the team in Mexico. This was yesterday March 23rd.”

The PBI-Mexico website has explained: “The Cerezo Committee was established after the arrests, torture and detentions of the brothers Alejandro, Héctor and Antonio Cerezo Contreras in maximum-security penitentiaries in Mexico. It was founded by Francisco and Emiliana Cerezo in solidarity with their detained brothers, now regarded by international organisations as political prisoners.”

It adds: “The Committee currently defends the rights of victims of political repression in Mexico. It is a leading organisation in the documentation of human rights violations in the country, also documenting violations committed against human rights defenders. This has allowed the Committee to publish high-quality reports and analyses. The Cerezo Committee has become a reference in capacity-building on human rights issues, documentation and security for civil society. In addition to surviving torture and unjust detention, the organisation’s members have been threatened and harassed.”

Cerezo Committee report on extrajudicial executions

Earlier this year, Once Noticias reported:

“The Cerezo Committee, an organization in defense of human rights, reported that during 2022, 22 defenders were killed, of which 18 were men and four were women.

In eight cases, it is known that the victims were human rights defenders who belonged to an indigenous people, in twelve cases they were mestizo, one case was of an Afro-descendant person and in one case it was not possible to determine the belonging of the victim.

The organization points out that these killings were carried out for political reasons, that is, as a form of punishment for the activity they carried out, in addition to the fact that the perpetrators were agents of the State.”

For more, please also see: 22 Human Rights Defenders Extrajudicially Executed in 2022 (Cerezo Committee report, January 10, 2023).

You can also visit the Cerezo Committee website here.

PBI-Mexico started accompanying the Cerezo Committee in 2002.

PBI-Guatemala accompanies Human Rights Law Firm at hearing of 23 police charged with extrajudicial execution

By
Brent Patterson
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On March 23, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“#PBI accompanies the Human Rights Law Firm in the debate hearing of the #SamocochCase. Today the two parties presented different people witnesses to testify about the events on August 15, 2014, three people from the Samococh community, Chisec, Alta Verapaz were killed. 23 PNC agents are charged with abuse of power and extrajudicial execution. Next hearings will be March 28th and 29th.”

PBI-Guatemala has previously explained: “More than 20 PNC officers are accused of extrajudicial execution, non-compliance with duties and abuse of authority for having caused the death of three Q’eqchi’ community members from Samococh village in Chisec, Alta Verapaz, during a demonstration [on August 15, 2014].”

La Hora has reported: “Two of the fatalities were left at the scene and were identified as Sebastian Rax and Luciano Cal. The other death corresponded to Óscar Chin, who died in the hospital of Cobán, after having been wounded by a bullet.” Prensa Comunitaria adds: “The result of the police raid was the death of Sebastian Rax Caal, 29; Luciano Can Cujub, 40; and Oscar Chen Quej, 22.”

That article also notes: “Elena Beb Atzing, Cristina Quej Quej de Chen and Zoila Caal Chun are the co-plaintiffs in this case against PNC agents. Two of the three Q’eqchi’ women lost their husbands and one their son to police bullets.”

The Santa Rita dam

The demonstration appears to have been against the Santa Rita hydroelectric dam on the Dolores River in Alta Verapaz.

Truthout explains: “In Monte Olivo, the state used its full force against the community. On August 14, 2014, 600 police units were deployed to evict a community of a few hundred families along the River Dolores. …In the following days, two other communities, 9 de Febrero and Samococh, both faced similar violent evictions to make way for the dam. These communities were driven out by 1,600 police units, and 22 community leaders were detained.”

That article also notes: “The Guatemalan-based company Hydro Electrical Santa Rita S.A., owned by the elite López-Roesch family, first proposed the Santa Rita hydro project in 2009. The powerful and influential cement company Cementos Progreso, owned by the Guatemalan Novella family, is reported to also have interests in the project.”

Prensa Libre further notes: “The confrontation occurred when dozens of police tried to evict peasants who had blocked the road from Chisec to Raxruhá, Alta Verapaz, to prevent the transfer of two leaders of the Peasant Development Committee [CODECA].”

“The PNC agents who arrived came from Cobán, where the Public Ministry successfully evicted some 160 families who were occupying the Santa Rita and Santa Rita Xalahá Canguini farms. In the first community [Santa Rita], families lived to avoid the construction of a hydroelectric plant [that lacked their free, prior and informed consent].”

That article adds: “The PNC tried to capture local leaders Rafael Chub and María del Carmen del Cid, which generated discontent among the residents and the confrontation.”

For more on the raid, please see the Witness Media Lab article/videos at: Community reporters document deadly raid on Indigenous villages in Guatemala.

Financing of this dam

In 2017, Carbon Market Watch reported: “In October, the private sector lending arm of the World Bank Group (International Finance Corporation, IFC) confirmed the cancellation of a controversial Santa Rita hydroelectric project in Guatemala, approved under the UN’s carbon offsetting scheme Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).”

That article further highlights: “[The dam was going to be built with] financial support of a private equity fund backed by bilateral and multilateral institutions such as the German and Dutch development banks (DEG and FMO), the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID).”

We continue to follow this.

PBI-Guatemala accompanies Maya Ch’orti Indigenous Council of Olopa in court as charges against four defenders dropped

By
Brent Patterson
-

On March 23, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“#PBI accompanies the Maya Ch’orti Indigenous Council of Olopa.

Yesterday we accompanied 4 members of the Council to the hearing of the first statement in Chiquimula. After a two-month probe the Prosecutor’s Office submitted evidence to support its charge of unlawful detentions. However, the judge did not consider the evidence robust enough to proceed with the trial and closed the charge.

So yesterday on #WorldWaterDay, all four water advocates and defenders walked free from the audience.”

Peaceful resistance to Cantera Los Manantiales

China Ch’orti’ has stated:

“Since 2012, the Maya Ch’orti’ communities of Olopa have been besieged, criminalised and politically, socially and judicially persecuted by the company Cantera Los Manantiales, which sought to establish itself in the territory for the extraction of materials such as antimony on communal lands, and which has caused fear, illness and even death. This has provoked fear, illnesses and even the death of the indigenous authority Elizandro Pérez.”

In August 2019, CDHAL reported:

“At a press conference, Mayan authorities Ch’orti’ said communities were the legitimate and historical owners of the land. The municipality of Olopa, in the department of Chiquimula, has been invaded by the company Cantera Los Manantiales, which illegally extracts antimony, contaminating water, destroying forests, causing strange diseases particularly affecting children and suppressing the tranquility, peace and joy of communities. Leaders and authorities have been criminalized, persecuted and disqualified for their opposition to the Cantera Los Manantiales company.”

And Front Line Defenders has also noted:

“Guatemalan human rights organisations have accused the Cantera Los Manantiales mining company, located in Chorti ’de Olopa, Chiquimula of committing serious human rights violations against indigenous peoples. In November 2019, the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) suspended the license of the mining company Cantera Los Manantiales and the Court of Amparos granted the Maya Ch’orti Indigenous Council of Olopa a provisional protection against the risks they were exposed to as a result of the mining activities, following the company’s violation of the agreements it had signed with the community.”

Charges now dropped

Prensa Comunitaria further explains:

“The Judge of First Criminal Instance of Chiquimula ordered the dismissal of the case against four community leaders, Juan Carlos Pérez Canán, Leonor Crisóstomo Méndez, Guillermo Ramírez Pérez, Fredy Geovany Ramírez Ramírez, accused of the crime of illegal detention.

According to the accusation of the MP [Public Ministry], the grievances were against Odilio de Jesús Guzmán Salazar and Rony Leonardo Guzmán Guzmán, owners of land where the mining company Cantera Los Manantiales operates.

The prosecutor of the MP requested that it be opened to trial and continue the process, while the defense requested that the case be dismissed, to which the judge decided to attend.

Francisco Vivar Castellanos, who is the defense attorney for one of the defendants and works for the Center for Legal Action in Human Rights (Caldh), said that it is a significant ruling for people who maintain the resistance of their territories and resources, in addition to doing so on a date that commemorates Water Day. It has a powerful message to maintain this defense.

Lawyer Casilda Jovita Tzul, also from the defense, explained that the case was closed and they will not continue persecuting them, and they will no longer have house arrest. “We are going to concentrate on comrades who have their case still pending for May, but for the resistance of Olopa the resolution is a success,” he said.

Leonor Crisóstomo Méndez, one of the women who maintained the defense of her territory and who had been criminalized, said she felt grateful because this process against her was over and now she feels free. She urged communities to maintain resistance for their resources and the defense of water.

“We are happy and we hope they can continue with their struggle, we appreciate the accompaniment to their comrades because this is a struggle for everyone,” said lawyer Vivar Castellanos.”

Upcoming case against Indigenous authorities

That article also notes:

“In May, Caldh will accompany the case against indigenous authorities María Méndez, Bernardino Pérez, and Juan Agustín, 82; and human rights defenders, Santos Gerónimo Ramos Méndez and Rosa Margarita Pérez Canán.

In July 2019, a conflict was generated by the peaceful resistance maintained by the inhabitants in the Olopa sector.

“On July 1, 2019, Mr. Odilio Guzmán provocatively broke a chain of passage, destroyed a motorcycle, his security personnel shot at people who were in peaceful resistance against mining, and physically violated Irma Pacay indigenous authority,” was the statement of the Indigenous Council of the place.”

PBI accompaniment

PBI-Guatemala 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.

PBI-Canada helps deliver Abolish CIRG coalition letter to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission office in Ottawa

By
Brent Patterson
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Delivering the letter to the CRCC office in Ottawa, March 22.

An open letter to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) is calling for a suspension of Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) deployments during the CRCC’s systemic review of the controversial RCMP unit.

The letter comes from a coalition of impacted communities, lawyers, researchers, and non-profits, including Peace Brigades International-Canada.

The letter states: “The CRCC reviews can take years to complete, and it is irresponsible to have this unit continue operations during that time, enabling the continuation of unlawful use of force, arrests, detentions, and assaults that have sparked such an investigation.”

It also expresses concern that the “review fails to exercise the full investigative powers of the CRCC and its Terms of Reference weaken opportunities for accountability.”

It adds: “We note that the communities whose collective complaints informed the CRCC’s decision have all advocated for a public process that includes public hearings in affected communities.”

“The CRCC’s TOR [terms of reference] does not include any opportunity for affected communities to inform the process directly by giving evidence or commenting on the accuracy of the RCMP’s evidence or practices. The current TOR also does not explicitly reference the Commission’s powers to compel witnesses or to deal directly with the unlawful conduct of specific officers.”

And it notes: “This letter also comes in the wake of the news that the C-IRG could be receiving $36 million in funding in just a few weeks.”

The full letter can be read here. 

 To help amplify on social media, click here.

Abolish CIRG webinar, April 16

We are also organizing a webinar on Sunday April 16 at 4 pm ET that will feature people who have experienced or witnessed C-IRG violence on the frontlines of struggles against resource extraction. To register for this webinar, please click here.

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