Guatemala's Indigenous People Fighting Back . . .

Guatemala's Indigenous People Fighting Back . . .

Postby Oscar » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:26 am

Guatemala's Indigenous People Fighting Back Against Exploitation by Multinational Mining Companies

[ http://www.alternet.org/guatemalas-indi ... 29976&t=22 ]

In violation of international law, the Guatemalan government is seeking to issue mining permits without the consent of indigenous people.

By Jeff Abbott / Waging Nonviolence January 7, 2015

Conflicts over mining are expanding across Guatemala. According to a recent report by Amnesty International [ http://www.amnesty.ca/sites/default/fil ... sk-eng.pdf ], the Canadian government and Canada-based multinational mining companies have played a major role in the conflicts and abuses of human rights in indigenous communities.

“Canada — like many other states — has shown itself willing to take action with extraterritorial effect to promote and protect corporate interests,” state the authors of the Amnesty International report. “The failure to take action — in line with the requirements and recommendations of U.N. human rights treaty bodies — to effectively regulate Canadian companies operating abroad is enabling these companies to benefit from human rights abuses occurring outside of Canada.”

The report, which was published in September 2014, states that Canada, which is headquarters for three-quarters of global mining companies, and the government of Guatemala have failed to provide space for community involvement and voices in the expansion of mining. The inadequate protection and unwillingness of the Guatemalan government of President Otto Pérez Molina to guarantee the rights of indigenous communities has exacerbated the situation.

“In promoting the involvement of Canadian corporations in global resource extraction activities, the government of Canada continues to rely almost exclusively on the national laws, regulations and enforcement mechanisms of the host countries to ensure that Canadian investment abroad does not contribute to human rights abuses,” states the Amnesty International report, “even when there is reason to believe that those laws are inadequate or are not enforced."

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[ http://www.alternet.org/guatemalas-indi ... 29976&t=22 ]
Oscar
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