Mining

“After 9 days and 212 kilometers, the Indigenous, Campesino and Popular March for the defense of Mother Earth, against evictions, criminalization, and in favor of Integrated Rural Development, arrived to the center of the Capital City. According to members of the Committee for Campesino Unity (CUC), it is estimated that about 15,000 people participated in the ninth and final day of the march”.

Here is another great set of human interest photographs from James Rodríguez of MiMundo.

“The movement leaders have issued a press statement, “Declaration of the March for Resistance and Dignity, in Defense of the Earth and Territory” in which they have made the following demands– reiterations of longstanding grievances of the Indigenous and campesinos in Guatemala:

• Elimination of agrarian debt imposed by the state on farmers; a just redistribution of land, allowing farmers at least a terrain to provide subsistence crops.

• Termination of forced relocations, in particular the ongoing problem in the Polochic Vally, Alta Verapaz, where hundreds of families were violently evicted from their homes to make way for African palm and sugar plantations in March of 2011.

• End to persecution and criminalization of Indigenous people fighting for their rights, including the 8 Indigenous women of San Miguel Ixtahuacán who have orders for capture for speaking out against the Marlin Mine.

• Cancellation of the concessions for mining, petroleum, hydroelectric, and mono-culture agriculture.

On July 7th 2010, gunmen entered the home of Diodora Hernández (above) and shot her in the eye. Diodora worked with a group of women active in defending community water resources from Canadian mining company Goldcorp.

Goldcorp has been in an ongoing conflict with Mayan communities in Western Guatemala since it began to develop its Marlin gold mine in San Marcos province 6 years ago and we have featured the community struggle previously.

A new photomontage from James Rodríguez is presented on his MiMundo site under the title ‘As Firm as a Tree: Portraits of Diodora’.

One year after her miraculous recuperation, Diodora’s anti-mining stance and activism remains as steadfast as ever.

There were some mentions of Guatemala in Parliament recently in written form, in reply to questions from Katy Clark, the Labour MP for North Ayrshire and Arran.

The Minister of State with responsibilities for Latin America, Jeremy Brown, visited Guatemala on 26th November and a series of questions were asked relating to that visit and the issue of human rights.

While there, the Minister met with civil society groups and with representatives of the Guatemalan Government with whom he raised the issue of human rights and the UK Government’s concern about the death penalty, the importance of tacking violence and organised crime as well as the impact of climate change.

Ms Clark also asked a question about respecting community consultations (consultas) that we have written about previously, especially with regard to mining. The Minister replied that ‘the ambassador spoke at a seminar on Guatemala's construction industry about the need for responsible development in Guatemala and open dialogue with civil society to ensure human rights are protected.’

You can find more here.

“The decision to lower royalties from six percent to one percent meant that Guatemala forfeited more than US$28m in three years. In 2006, the fiscal cost of this tax incentive to one mining company exceeded Guatemala’s total spending on health infrastructure.”

"The Committee requests the Government to neither grant nor renew any licence for the exploration and exploitation of natural resources as referred to in Article 15 of the Convention while the participation and consultation provided for by the Convention are not being carried out, and to provide information in this regard".

In a recent question asked to mark International Women's Day in the House of Lords Guatemala was mentioned a couple of times.

This is an account of a meeting that Grahame Russell, of Rights Action, had with a resident in San Jose Ixcanique in western Guatemala. A village near the Goldcorp 'Marlin' mine.

This article is taken from Upsidedown World.

“Experts often consider open-pit mining to be the most destructive industrial activity in terms of environmental depletion, social and cultural impact… In San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipakapa, San Marcos, intensive mineral exploitation has already left its mark. Local residents from Agel, Nueva Esperanza and San Jose Ixcaniche remember fondly a gorgeous mountain, famed for its diversity, where one could find various species of birds and butterflies. Today, the only thing left of that place is an enormous crater with contaminated rubble.”

So begins a new photomontage from MiMundo and James Rodríguez.

The Latin American Water Tribunal (TLA, by its acronym in Spanish) carried out its 5th public hearing under the motto: ‘Hydraulic justice for indigenous lands and territories’. The trial took place in the city of Antigua Guatemala from September 8th to the 12th. Ten cases where water issues affected indigenous populations in the region were analyzed: one in Brazil, three in Mexico, one in El Salvador, three in Guatemala, and two in Panama.

A new photoreportage from James Rodriguez on his MiMundo site continues his usual high relevance to those without a voice in modern Guatemala.

The sentence was follows:

1. To hold the Government of Guatemala responsible for not improving the situation in high-risk mining operations.

2. To censure the Government of Guatemala for not making sure the following laws and international agreements are upheld: ILO Convention 169, the tenth principle from the Rio Convention, Articles 44 and 46 from the Republic of Guatemala’s Political Constitution of March 31, 1985, as well as the 1996 Peace Accords – specifically the Accord referring to Indigenous Peoples’ Identity and Rights.

3. To censure the Government of Guatemala for not respecting Indigenous Peoples’ traditional justice systems.

4. To hold Montana Exploradora de Guatemala Mining Company responsible for damages caused on the local environment and population of San Miguel Ixtahuacan and Sipacapa.