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PBI-Honduras attends ‘Walking the Tightrope’ forum on persecution of journalists

By
Brent Patterson
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On July 30, the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project posted on its Facebook page, “On Saturday, July 20, PBI-Honduras Project attended the forum ‘Walking the Tightrope’, organized by ASOPODEHU in collaboration with the [Colombia-based] Foundation for Press Freedom – FLIP, in the city of Marcala, La Paz.”

PBI-Honduras adds, “There we heard stories of journalists and social communicators who have been persecuted for their defence of freedom of expression and current criminalization trends in Honduras and throughout the Latin American region.”

Al Jazeera has reported, “At least 62 journalists have been killed in the country between 2006 and 2017, according to data from the Commission for Investigation of Attacks on Journalists of the Latin American Federation of Journalists. Only two of those killings happened before [the US-backed military coup in] 2009.”

Reporters Without Borders has ranked Honduras 141 out of 180 countries on the 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

That article adds, “The statistics make Honduras the most deadly country for journalists in the Americas per capita.”

There have also been ongoing strikes and protests in Honduras since late April of this year over President Juan Orlando Hernández’s proposed ‘reforms’ of the health and education systems, deep public dissatisfaction with his government, allegations of corruption, and findings of widespread irregularities in the November 2017 election.

On June 28, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued this statement noting that it is investigating the deaths of four people and that “another 78 people, including journalists and human rights defenders, have reportedly been injured by the security forces in the context of the protests.”

ASOPODEHU refers to the Association for Democracy and Human Rights in Honduras, an organization headed by journalist Dina Meza. She attended the ‘Walking the Tightrope’ forum (you can see her sitting at the left end of the head table in the photo).

Its mission (translated from Spanish) is “to accompany victims of violations of their fundamental human rights, with emphasis on vulnerable groups: journalists, social communicators, women, youth, indigenous people, blacks and the community of sexual diversity.”

Al Jazeera also notes the organization “supports at-risk media workers and offers training to young journalists.”

On July 12, PBI-Honduras also posted, “Last week, we accompanied Dina Meza from ASOPODEHU in meetings with journalists in the cities of La Paz and Marcala in order to discuss topics related to freedom of expression.”

PBI-Honduras has accompanied Meza since May 2014.

Al Jazeera has reported, “As a safety precaution, Meza often is flanked by a pair of international human rights observers provided by Peace Brigades International when she works in the field on investigations or reporting outside of the capital, Tegucigalpa.”

#LibertaddeExpresión #FreedomofExperession

Global Witness human rights report notes criminalization of Unist’ot’en land defenders

By
Brent Patterson
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Global Witness is an international human rights organization with offices in London, Brussels and Washington.

Each year it produces an annual report on the harassment and killing of land and environmental defenders around the world.

This year’s report – Enemies of the State? How governments and business silence land and environmental defenders – highlights, “In 2018, Global Witness documented 164 killings of land and environmental defenders – ordinary people murdered for defending their homes, forests and rivers against destructive industries. Countless more were silenced through violent attacks, arrests, death threats or lawsuits.”

Its chart on the ‘total number of killings per country’ includes Colombia (24), Guatemala (16), Mexico (14), Honduras (4), Kenya (2) and Indonesia (1).

These are countries where Peace Brigades International has field projects that support at-risk human rights defenders.

Their report highlights, “Guatemala saw a jump from three killings in 2017 to 16 killings last year, making it the most dangerous country per capita in 2018.”

That gives a sobering context for the work of the ten Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project volunteers who last year accompanied members of 11 organizations and 3 human rights defenders working on issues including environmental and land rights.

The Global Witness chart on the ‘number of killings by sector’ include mining & extractives (43), agribusiness (21), water & dams (17), and logging (13).

The report also notes, “Our 2018 world map pinpoints instances in 2018 of physical and legal attacks against land and environmental defenders across continents.”

In what Global Witness has described as “criminalisation” that map notes, “A subsidiary of energy company TransCanada filed a civil lawsuit and injunction against leaders and members of the indigenous Unist’ot’en tribe in November 2018 for their role in protests against the construction of a natural gas pipeline on their land.”

It then explains, “According to CBC news, Freda Huson and Dinï ze’ Smogelgem were accused of ‘acting without lawful authority with the stated purpose of stopping the project’. As a result, the British Columbia supreme court ordered the Unist’ot’en tribe to disband their blockade – allowing the company to access the site. TransCanada is also the company behind the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline that has triggered widespread protests.”

The Wet’suwe’ten are protecting their traditional lands (in the central interior of British Columbia) from the 670-kilometre TransCanada Coastal GasLink pipeline that would bring fracked gas down from Dawson Creek (in northern B.C.) to Kitimat, where it would be converted into a liquid form (for export) at LNG Canada’s proposed processing facility.

190 kilometres of that pipeline would run through Wet’suwe’ten territory.

LNG Canada is a consortium comprised of Shell, PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and the Korea Gas Corporation.

The Unist’ot’en Camp further explains, “On January 7, 2019, militarized RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] descended onto unceded Gitdumt’ten territories of the Wet’suwet’en Nation to enforce a colonial court injunction” that allows Coastal GasLink to begin pre-construction activities for a fracked gas pipeline.

Just days after that RCMP raid, the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), which is accompanied by the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project, posted on Facebook:

“Solidarity with the worthy struggle of Indigenous peoples in Canada! NO to the plunder of the Indigenous territories of the Wet’suwet’en People!”

Those assembled in this photograph, which includes the daughter of slain human rights defender Berta Cáceres, are holding signs that read: “No to the dispossession of Indigenous peoples!” and “Solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people in Canada.”

This year’s Global Witness report also provides this update: “Following sustained media attention on the death of Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres in 2016, seven men were found guilty of her murder in November 2018. The court ruled that the executives of the Agua Zarca hydropower dam company Desa had ordered Cáceres’ killing because of long delays and financial losses as a result of the protests she led.”

PBI-Honduras began accompanying COPINH, the organization Cáceres led, in May 2016 as it continues to be at-risk following her murder.

Vancouver-based company apologizes to injured human rights defenders in Guatemala

By
Brent Patterson
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On April 27, 2013, private security forces employed by Tahoe Resources began shooting at land defenders opposed to the Escobal silver mine, located about 75 kilometres southeast of Guatemala City.

Misael Martinez told Al Jazeera, “We were peacefully protesting at the site, in front of the entrance to the mine.”

Al Jazeera reports, “Martinez, a farmer from a nearby village, was shot in the back. Six other protesters were also hit. All survived, although one teenager shot in the face required extensive reconstructive surgery.”

This media release notes, “The victims retained Vancouver-based Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman (CFM Lawyers) to represent them in a civil suit against Tahoe in Canada.”

Now, Agence France-Presse reports, “A Canadian mining firm has apologized after reaching an agreement with demonstrators shot and wounded while protesting the company’s Guatemalan gold and silver mine, according to statements Tuesday from both sides.”

That article highlights, “In a separate statement, Pan American Silver acknowledged protesters’ human rights had been violated.”

Pan American Silver now owns Tahoe Resources Inc.

According to the website of Vancouver-based Pan American Silver, “On February 22, 2019, Pan American Silver and Tahoe Resources Inc. completed the plan of arrangement whereby Pan American acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Tahoe.”

The CFM Lawyers media release (referenced above) notes, “In 2017, the BC Court of Appeal overturned a lower court decision and confirmed that the case should be heard in Canada, concluding that there was a real risk that the Guatemalan protestors would not get a fair trial in their own country.”

Joe Fiorante, a partner at CFM Lawyers, says, “The case sets a very important precedent. It confirms that Canadian courts are the appropriate forum for human rights claims arising from the foreign activities of Canadian mining companies.”

At this media conference yesterday, Fiorante also noted, “These cases are Canadian human rights cases as much as Guatemalan cases.”

The Escobal mine went into operation in early 2014, but after continued protests a Constitutional Court ruling stopped production at the mine in 2017 given indigenous communities had not been consulted about its development.

Al Jazeera notes, “The language of the [Constitutional Court ruling in 2017] suggests that the mine may resume operation following the consultation regardless of the outcome. Xinka residents are pushing for a free and fair consultation process, but have no plans to consent to the mine or allow production to resume.”

This Earthworks Action petition highlights, “During [Pan American Silver’s] first shareholder meeting since the purchase [in February], Founder, Director and Chairman of the Board, Ross J. Beaty, said ‘I believe that there’s no sensible reason, social, environmental, or political, that Escobal shouldn’t be generating $400M per year’.”

This statement from NISGUA and allies expresses concern about the recent “escalation of tension, threats and defamation” against the Peaceful Resistance of Mataquescuintla that opposes the reopening of the Escobal mine.

Thunberg’s visit to Mexico could draw attention to the risks faced by human rights defenders

By
Brent Patterson
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Greta Thunberg’s upcoming visit to Mexico this fall could draw attention to the crucial role at-risk human rights defenders play in upholding our shared right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Thunberg will be sailing across the Atlantic Ocean this August to attend the United Nations Climate Action Summit on September 23 in New York City. Following that, she will be visiting Canada, Mexico, Chile and other countries.

The United Nations says, “Human rights and the environment are intertwined; human rights cannot be enjoyed without a safe, clean and healthy environment; and sustainable environmental governance cannot exist without the establishment of and respect for human rights. This relationship is increasingly recognised yet paradoxically environmental rights are increasingly violated.”

Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, and David R. Boyd, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, recently acknowledged in this statement the youth who are leading the Fridays for Future school strike for the climate protests.

That’s the movement that grew to global proportions after Thunberg began holding a sign that read Skolstrejk för klimatet (School strike for the climate) outside the Swedish parliament in August 2018 to call on the Swedish government to reduce carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement reached in December 2015.

Special rapporteurs Forst and Boyd have commented, “We salute their courage and are deeply grateful for their actions, which are desperately needed in today’s political climate of lassitude and decision paralysis.”

This past January, The Irish Times reported, “The ‘global epidemic of murders’ of human rights defenders continued, according to the [Front Line Defenders] report, which said 321 deaths was an increase of nine people on the previous year.”

That article highlighted, “Colombia and Mexico accounted for just over half of these, while the large majority of victims [77 per cent] were involved in work relating to indigenous and environmental issues.”

Then in March, the UN Human Rights Council adopted this resolution that, “Stresses that human rights defenders, including environmental human rights defenders, must be ensured a safe and enabling environment to undertake their work free from hindrance and insecurity, in recognition of their important role in supporting States to fulfil their obligations under the Paris Agreement and to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Following Thunberg’s visit to Mexico, she will be attending the COP25 UN climate summit in Santiago de Chile, Chile from December 2-13.

That could be another critical opportunity to highlight that protections for human rights defenders engaged in environmental struggles must be fully realized as a crucial pillar in stopping the scourge of further climate breakdown.

Photo by Anders Hellberg.

Is the role of an Embassy to be a corporate advocate or to uphold human rights?

By
Brent Patterson
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This coming November 27th will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Mexican human rights defender Mariano Abarca Roblero.

Abarca opposed Calgary-based Blackfire Exploration’s open-pit La Revancha barite mine in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.

The Toronto Star has reported, “Opposition to the mine was led by two groups, one of which, the Mexican Network of People Affected by Mining [REMA], was led by Abarca, speaking out against the environmental impacts of the mine and the failure to acknowledge the rights of Indigenous groups.”

“Protests against the mine included a months-long blockade of its operations. Abarca, along with two members of his family, was beaten at his home in the summer of 2008.”

“The following summer he led a protest delegation to the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City. He was later detained by police following a complaint by Blackfire.”

“In November 2009, he lodged his own complaint against the mining company, alleging that death threats had been made against him by Blackfire employees. Days later he was murdered — a drive-by shooting outside his home.”

The background in this MiningWatch Canada post highlights, “Access-to-information requests showed that the embassy intervened with Mexican government officials to support the company even when it knew about conflict over Blackfire’s project in Chiapas, Mexico, including the risks that Mr. Abarca was facing.”

It adds, “Mr. Abarca had personally alerted the embassy about community concerns over the mine’s impacts and related threats. Shortly after, Mr. Abarca was detained without charge on accusations filed by the company, and just weeks before his murder, the embassy asked Mexican authorities to quell protests over Blackfire’s operations.”

The Justice4Mariano.net further notes, “When Abarca was detained for eight days without charge, the Embassy received 1,400 letters from across Canada and across Latin America expressing dire concern for his safety. But its communications with Mexican state officials, as revealed in the Access to Information release, were instead oriented toward protecting the company’s interests.”

That website also notes, “Even after Abarca’s murder, and after the mine was shut down on environmental grounds, the documentation shows that the Embassy still provided support to the company, advising it about how it could sue the Mexican state under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).”

The Toronto Star article continues, “In February 2018, [Shin Imai, law professor at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto] requested that [Canada’s public sector] integrity commissioner investigate the events around Abarca’s murder.”

Among Imai’s stated concerns: “The Canadian Embassy ignored warnings that Mr. Abarca’s life and safety were in danger, while actively advocating on the company’s behalf with the government of the State of Chiapas.”

On July 29, this MiningWatch Canada media release stated, “In a decision published on July 18th, Federal Justice Keith Boswell conceded that ‘perhaps Mariano Abarca would not have been murdered’ if the embassy ‘[had] acted in a certain way’.”

“Despite Judge Boswell’s admission of the significance of the embassy’s influence, he refused to order the Commissioner to investigate the embassy’s conduct.”

Following that ruling, Mariano Abarca’s son, José Luis Abarca Montejo, commented, “We are very disappointed by this decision. …It is baffling to us that the judge could recognize that the embassy could have made a difference in the life of my father by acting otherwise, and yet refused to order an investigation.”

The media release further notes, “the Abarca family together with Otros Mundos Chiapas, the Human Rights Centre of the Autonomous University of Chiapas, the Mexican Network of Mining Affected People (REMA by its initials in Spanish), and MiningWatch Canada … are preparing to exercise their right of appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal.”

Last March, the Toronto Star Business Columnist Jennifer Wells commented, “The case could boil down to this: is it the role of an embassy to be a corporate advocate or is it to uphold fundamental human rights and facilitate dialogue?”

This past June, Global Affairs released its “Voices at Risk” guidelines for Canadian diplomats to support human rights defenders. More on that “practical advice” and the response to it from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and several Canadian civil society groups in this PBI-Canada overview.

Photo by MiningWatch Canada of a February 2018 rally at the Human Rights Monument in Ottawa with Mariano Abarca’s son and Canadian civil society groups calling for justice for the slain human rights defender.

PBI-Colombia present at the “march for life and the defence of social leaders”

By
Brent Patterson
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On July 26, the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project was present for the “march for life and the defence of social leaders” in Bogota, Barrancabermeja and Apartado, the three cities where PBI-Colombia volunteers are based.

An Al Jazeera article reports, “Thousands have marched in cities across Colombia to protest against the alarming rate of killings of activists and human rights defenders since the country’s 2016 peace deal.”

La Jornada adds, “According to statistics from the Ombudsman’s Office, between January 2016 and June 2019, at least 486 social leaders and defenders were killed in Colombia. But the Attorney General’s Office maintains that the deaths only total 292, while organizations such as the Institute for Peace and Development Studies document 734 homicides in the same period.”

From the rallies, PBI-Colombia tweeted:

Barrancabermeja: “All the flowers may disappear but the spring cannot disappear. And the first one is the social organizations” … An impression from the stand for life and against the murders of social leaders in Barrancabermeja in which PBI was present.

Apartado: #26deJulioDespertemos PBI present in the #Apartado plant for the defense of the lives of defenders of #ddhh and social leaders.

Bogota: #26JMiGritoEs for the defense of life, the right to defend human rights in #Bogota; the mobilization is huge with a single shout towards a true society in peace with democracy and social justice.

El Espectador reports, “Hundreds of protesters gathered in the oil port [Barrancabermeja]. From the Camilo Torres square, the Truth Commission and social organizations like Poderpaz spoke in favor of the defence of social leaders.”

The Al Jazeera article noted above continues, “Protesters in Bogota blew horns and pleaded with President Ivan Duque’s government and the international community to take action over the killings. …Local media estimates 10,000 protesters arrived in Bogota’s main public square, Plaza Bolivar, during the march.”

Colombia Reports adds, “The event [in Bogota] was attended by the leftist opposition and the center right parties that have supported the peace process, victims organizations, labor unions and students. The crowd in Bogota was [also] accompanied by foreign embassies and the United Nations, which monitors the peace process and on multiple occasions has criticized the government’s failures to implement the peace deal.”

Last year, 27 PBI-Colombia volunteers accompanied members of 13 organizations and 2 individual human rights defenders working on business and human rights and forced disappearances.

#DefendamosLaVida #26deJulioDespertemos #26JMiGritoEs

PBI-Mexico expresses concern about continued harassment of the Saltillo Migrant Shelter

By
Brent Patterson
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On July 25, the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project posted (in Spanish) on Twitter, “We express our concern about the recent acts of harassment [the Saltillo Migrant Shelter] has suffered.”

On July 24, AJ+ Espanol tweeted (in Spanish), “’What they are doing is in violation of the law!’ This said the director of the @CDMSaltillo to the military who tried to do – for the second time this month – an immigration review at the migrant shelter in Saltillo, Mexico.”

The Federal Police had also tried to do an immigration check at the Shelter on July 20. You can read more about that in this Peace Brigades International-Canada article, PBI-Mexico expresses concern over federal police check at Saltillo Migrant Shelter.

The AJ+ Espanol tweet included this 48-second video of Alberto Xicotencátl Carrasco, the director of the Shelter, turning away the military police and the Saltillo police.

In the video, he says:

“Article 76 of the Migration Law: ‘No authority can make immigration checks five kilometers from the shelters.’ Article 76 of the Migration Law. The Migrant House is protected by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. What they are doing is in violation of the law. The military is violating the law and breaking an international order. The Inter-American Commission has precautionary measures! Respect the law!”

The harassment of the Saltillo Migrant Shelter is happening in the context of the further militarization of the US-Mexico border.

On June 24, the head of the Mexican army announced that Mexico had deployed almost 15,000 soldiers and members of its National Guard in the north of the country to stem the flow of migration into the United States.

Reuters has reported, “Mexico is trying to curb a surge of migrants from third countries crossing its territory in order to reach the United States, under the threat of tariffs on its exports by U.S. President Donald Trump…”

PBI-Mexico has noted, “The Saltillo Migrant Shelter offers daily humanitarian assistance — including clothes, medicines, food, rest, and medical and psychological care — to hundreds of migrants crossing Mexico to reach the United States.”

PBI-Mexico has accompanied the Saltillo Migrant Shelter, which is located near the Mexico-Texas border, since February 2014.

For more on the work of the Shelter, please see this 4-minute video by PBI-Mexico.

#PBIAcompaña

PBI-Guatemala accompanies groups at release of MiningWatch Canada’s Extraction Casino report

By
Brent Patterson
-

On July 23, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted that it had accompanied the Peaceful Resistance of La Puya and the Human Rights Law Firm at the presentation of the report Extraction Casino: Mining Companies Gambling with Latin American Lives and Sovereignty Through International Arbitration.

The 44-page report written by Jen Moore and Manuel Perez Rocha was published by our allies MiningWatch Canada, the Institute for Policy Studies and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).

The paper notes that it “analyses 38 cases filed by global mining corporations against Latin American governments using the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system.”

It adds, “Reflective of the disproportionate participation of Canadian financing in the global mining sector, the majority of these cases were brought or threatened by Canadian-domiciled firms, although U.S., U.K., South African, Swiss, French, Dutch, Chilean, Australian and East Indian companies have also taken part.”

Pages 27-28 of the report focus on Guatemala and notes “Canada-based Goldcorp’s controversial Marlin Mine” and the “Canadian mining company Tahoe Resources [and] the court-ordered suspension of its Escobal silver mine”.

The report also highlights, “On May 16, 2018, the U.S. company Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA) filed a notice of intent to sue Guatemala for at least US$300 million.”

On June 12, PBI-Guatemala visited the Peaceful Resistance of La Puya camp and then posted on Facebook, “We remain aware of their security situation in the context of international arbitration between the State of Guatemala and the US mining company Kappes Cassidy & Associates (KCA).”

Residents from the communities of San José del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc — an area known as La Puya — have been fighting against the Progreso VII Derivada-El Tambor gold mine located just north of Guatemala City since March 2010.

The Peaceful Resistance of La Puya, which is made up of members from these communities, has stated, “[The environmental impact assessment] shows that the gold and silver are contained in arsenopyrite rock, which contains high levels of arsenic. Levels of arsenic in the water increased considerably during the time the mine was in operation.”

They have also expressed concern about the massive amount of water the mine would use in their water-scarce region.

While KCA is an American company, readers in Canada may want to take note that the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) has highlighted, “The company’s 2013 audited financial statements state that three quarters of the cost of the sale transaction will be paid to [Vancouver-based] Radius once gold shipments commence from the property and that Radius also anticipates quarterly payments from KCA based on gold production.”

PBI-Guatemala has accompaniment the Peaceful Resistance of La Puya since 2012 and the Human Rights Law Firm since 2013.

Timeline

2010 — Exploraciones Mineras de Guatemala S.A (Exmingua) presents its environmental impact assessment for the proposed mine to the Guatemalan government.

March 2, 2012 — Hundreds of community members set up the La Puya encampment, a peaceful blockade at the site of the mine.

June 2012 — An assassination attempt is made on resistance leader Yolanda Oquelí by unknown assailants on her way home from the roadblock.

August 2012 — Vancouver-based mining company Radius Gold sells its shares in Exmingua to the Reno, Nevada–based mining company Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA).

November 2012 – PBI-Guatemala begins providing protective accompaniment to the Peaceful Resistance of La Puya.

December 2012 — Security guards hired by Exmingua intimidate journalists at the roadblock.

May 22, 2014 — Hydrogeology expert Robert Moran states that the company’s environmental impact assessment on the mine was the worst he had seen in 42 years of experience.

May 23, 2014 — Hundreds of police used tear gas and flash bombs to remove the women who formed the front line of the resistance at the blockade. PBI-Guatemala Project has noted, “PBI observed a disproportionate use of force by the police during that eviction.”

May 2014 — Nine leaders of the resistance are accused of making threats and assaulting employees at the mine. They were cleared of those charges in March 2015.

July 1, 2014 — Two PBI-Guatemala Project field volunteers who had witnessed the police action are told by Guatemalan officials that they have to leave the country within 10 days.

May 26, 2015 — Two hundred riot police use excessive force to remove members of the resistance when they block vehicles from entering the mine to mark the one-year anniversary of their eviction and a lack of response to their request for a dialogue.

July 15, 2015 — A constitutional court rules against the mine and directs the company to hold community consultations with those who are impacted by the mine. The court orders that the mine stop its operations within 15 days, but the company continues its operations and appeals the ruling.

February 2016 — The Guatemalan Supreme Court rules to provisionally suspend the mining licence due to lack of prior consultation. Operations at the mine are suspended.

May 2018 — KCA submits its notice of intent to file arbitration under the Free Trade Agreement between the Dominican Republic, Central America and the United States (DR-CAFTA). The company cites the community protests and unjust treatment by the state.

December 11, 2018 — KCA files a $300 million claim with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, a World Bank arbitration mechanism.

February 1, 2019 — Ten organizations, including the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network, the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network (MISN) and MiningWatch Canada, release a statement in solidarity with the resistance and in opposition to the investment challenge.

May 2, 2019 — The report Extraction Casino: Mining Companies Gambling with Latin American Lives and Sovereignty through Supranational Arbitration is released.

June 12, 2019 — PBI-Guatemala visits the Peaceful Resistance of La Puya camp and posts, “We remain aware of their security situation in the context of international arbitration between the State of Guatemala and the US mining company Kappes Cassidy & Associates (KCA).”

July 23, 2019 — PBI-Guatemala accompanies the Peaceful Resistance of La Puya and the Human Rights Law Firm at the release of the Extraction Casino report.

PBI-Honduras accompanies ASODEBICOQ in its opposition to hydroelectric dams

By
Brent Patterson
-

On July 24, the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project posted, “Last month we went to El Cacao, where our accompanied organization ASODEBICOQ works in the preservation of common and natural goods.”

PBI-Honduras adds, “We were updated on the latest developments with a hydroelectric project and how the community is affected by these concessions.”

The Association of Defenders of Common Goods in Quimistán (ASODEBICOQ) was founded to defend land, rivers and human rights. Quimistán is a municipality in the department (state) of Santa Bárbara, which is situated in western Honduras.

Quimistán is situated about 20 kilometres southwest of El Cacao (which is also in the department of Santa Bárbara), where PBI-Honduras went last month.

In February 2019, Radio Progreso reported (in Spanish) that the department of Santa Bárbara is “threatened by more than 15 hydroelectric projects and 23 concessions for mining.”

That same article notes, “In the municipality of Quimistán, there is an imminent danger from the installation of the Santa Lucia hydroelectric dam, which is advanced by 90%. And, despite the fact that there is a strong rejection by the population, they currently intend to build a second hydroelectric dam also on the Cuyagual River.”

ASODEBICOQ is opposed to the construction of the Santa Lucia I and Santa Lucia II dams. It has called on the Government of Honduras to stop construction of the dams because the project violates the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, an International Labour Organization Convention, also known as ILO-convention 169.

That convention is a forerunner of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and reflects the right to free, prior and informed consent.

There have also been serious environmental impacts.

Kevin Ramírez Vásquez, a co-founder of ASODEBICOQ, says, “The impact the Cuyagual project has had is the pollution of the rivers from where they explode dynamite, explode bombs to loosen rocks and fell deeply-rooted trees.”

He adds, “The poison this bomb makes ends up in the freshwater springs, in the river, and it pollutes the river where it kills the animals, the fish, the water-snails.”

Ramirez also notes, “The inhabitants of communities such as San Felipe and Santa Lucia can’t access the rivers because they are privatized. The owners are the businessmen, the owners of the dam. They have militarized the area, installed police posts.”

And he says, “We know that for defending our territory, defending the rivers, which are the veins of our Mother Earth, the first thing that comes are the threats. We know that deaths may await us because they send soldiers when we make blockades or take to the streets.”

PBI-Honduras has been monitoring the security situation of Ramirez since April 2017 and began to provide accompaniment to ASODEBICOQ in May 2018. Ramirez says, “The support PBI offers us gives us strength, encouragement, so we can keep going.”

The river itself also gives Ramirez strength. He says, “When I see the river I feel excited and proud because we defend that river, we defend it from those businessmen that come to pollute it. I feel very happy when I see so much nature, so many rivers, so many beautiful people coming together.”

To read an interview (in English) done by PBI-Honduras and posted on the PBI-United Kingdom website, please click here.

PBI-Honduras seeks volunteers; apply by August 31!

By
Brent Patterson
-

The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project is seeking field volunteers.

Key qualifications include a fluency in Spanish, a commitment to at least 12 months of field work, and an ability to work in a horizontal structure where decisions are made through consensus.

PBI-Honduras will cover the following costs: a round trip ticket to Honduras and back, accommodation and medical insurance, an honorarium of about $285 CAD per month for personal costs and repatriation once you have finished your contract.

Key dates include:

Deadline for applications – August 31

Interviews – September 15 to October 6

Online training – October 6 to December 31

In-person training in Valladolid, Spain – January 12-18, 2020

In 2018, eight international volunteers accompanied members of six organizations and one human rights defender working on business and human rights, land rights, indigenous rights, freedom of expression, support to victims, women’s rights and LGBTI rights.

Volunteers are based in the capital city of Tegucigalpa.

All the information on how to apply to be a field volunteer in Honduras can be found here.

Please help spread the word!

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