Month: October 2013
Mexico: The federal authorities must immediately release Alberto Patishtán
Amnesty International on Oct. 1 called on the Mexican authorities to free Alberto Patishtán, a Tzotzil Indigenous man and bilingual teacher from the state of Chiapas in order to end 13 years of unjust imprisonment. […]
Conflict Over Proposed Dam Flares Up in Guatemala
On September 28, community leader Mynor López was walking by the church in Santa Cruz Barillas, Huehuetenango, when he was suddenly seized by men dressed in civilian clothing, taken in a pickup to a waiting military helicopter, and flown to Guatemala City. The response of the population was both immediate and massive. In communities across the region residents took to the streets in peaceful protest, blockading highways and demanding Mynor’s release.
Berta Cáceres Is Still Alive: Indigenous Resistance Against Transnational Plunder in Honduras
Honduran authorities want Berta Cáceres in prison. Even more, they want her dead. Cáceres is a founder of the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, and she went into hiding on September 20. But against all odds, Berta Cáceres is still alive.
The End of Impunity? Indigenous Guatemalans Bring Canadian Mining Company to Court
For the first time, a Canadian mining company will appear in a Canadian court for actions committed overseas. Hudbay Minerals, Inc, will be standing trial for murder, rapes and attacks committed against Indigenous Guatemalans by security personnel working for Hudbay’s subsidiary, Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel (CGN).
At the UN, a Latin American Rebellion
Latin American leaders are reclaiming a right to differentiate their views from Washington’s—and refusing to render it diplomatic tribute. Source: Foreign Policy in Focus Without a doubt, the 68th UN General Assembly will be remembered […]
Ecuador: Correa Pushes Mining, Targets International Human Rights Observers in Intag
The government of Ecuadorian President Rafeal Correa sent the national mining company, ENAMI, into the Intag region last month in order to begin work necessary for a legally required environmental impact study for the proposed large-scale, open-pit copper mine near the agrarian community of Junín. Community members successfully prevented ENAMI from entering their community by using an age-old peasant community tactic, the road blockade.
An Urgent Call for International Solidarity from Colombia: Support the Peace Process!
“We must remember this October 15th in all the corners of the planet, wherever it might be possible that acts of solidarity be realized in support of the process of dialogue that is moving forward […]
Canadian Mining Abroad: The Boom and the Backlash
Source: The Tyee Business-friendly laws have made Canada the preferred legal residence for three-quarters of the world’s mining companies. But many of those companies actually operate in developing countries whose legal systems inspire little confidence, […]
Re-militarizing the Police: Turning the Clock Back in Honduras
The new military police are better armed than the civilian police they will replace in this mission. For example, they will be armed with Israeli Galil ACE 21 assault rifles carrying 35-round magazines, capable of firing 700 rounds per minute. The prospect of these boots on the ground treating neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula as battlefields should be troubling, even to those who applaud this latest move in the name of increasing security, including the US State Department, which Liberal party congress member Jose Azcona said in July had encouraged the formation of such a force during the previous presidential administration.