LAMMP will be speaking at an important event hosted by the London Mining Network at Westminster to launch a report on the role of the city in mining.
UK Listed Mining Companies
and the Case for Stricter Oversight
Wednesday 7 March, 11am-12 noon, Room S, Portcullis House, Westminster, London SW1
London is the world’s major centre for raising finance for the mining industry. Mining companies seek London listings even if they have few connections with the UK, because of the enormous financial and reputational advantages that such listings bring. But what has been the impact of the UK’s ‘light touch’ regulation on the communities around the world who are most directly affected by those companies’ operations? And what about the reputation of the United Kingdom itself?
LMN’s report argues that authorities in the UK need to pay more attention to the record of mining companies seeking a London listing before they are accepted on a UK investment exchange; and that, once listed here, companies need to be more strictly regulated, to ensure that they do not violate human rights and environmental conventions to which the UK is a signatory. The report contains case studies which will be examined at the launch.
LMN’s report is published as Parliament discusses the Financial Services Bill, which will establish the new Financial Conduct Authority as the UK’s Listing Authority.
Speakers: Eric Joyce MP (APPG on the Great Lakes Region) Glevys Rondon (Latin American Mining Monitoring Programme) Peter Frankental (Amnesty UK) Richard Solly (London Mining Network) Roger Moody (Nostromo Research)
Chair: John McDonnell MP
A long-running court case of especial interest in Peru has been re-opened.
Some time ago, we reported on the many twists and turns in the case of Margarita Pérez Anchiraica. We also have a striking 12-minute video interview with her (in Spanish, with sub-titles).
Margarita’s story started in 1998 when the mining company Lisandro Proaño S.A. began to dump toxic tailings in the Bosque de Mayoc, causing severe problems for the health of the inhabitants living just 20 metres from the tailings.
In representation of her neighbourhood, Margarita started legal action demanding that the company remove the tailings and compensate the people affected. Three years later, in March 2001, the technical department of the Ministry for Mines suspended the dumping of tailings for violation of environmental law, the legal commitments agreed in the Environmental Impact Assessment and the contamination of water destined for public consumption with lead, arsenic and mercury according to a study by DIGESA.
Margarita’s struggle for compensation continued, a struggle made dangerous by the ferocious persecution directed against her in order to force her to withdraw her action. She was sacked from her job as cleaner in the local council, and received death threats. After the Inter American Commission of Human Rights instigated measures to protect her, the persecution changed to provocation: her electricity was cut off, her house was marked with a black cross, and her family was threatened with sexual abuse.
Margarita did not give up the struggle, despite important documents being inexplicably “lost”. In 2010 the court at last issued its judgement, and absolved Jaime Enrique Rodríguez Mariátegui Proaño (general manager and owner of the mining company) of crimes of environmental contamination. It also classed the crime as prescribed, because of the time elapsed.
Margarita did not accept the verdict, and appealed. In January the Supreme Court in Lima annulled the 2010 sentence and sent the case to another court for a new decision, insisting that it should take into account the available evidence.
Margarita is one of the environmental defenders supported by LAMMP.
The four-page decision of the court (in Spanish legalese) can be viewed here: 1, 2, 3, 4.
The National Council for Indigenous Women in Argentina has issued a strong statement about the repression associated with open cast mining taking place in Catamarca, in the north of the country.
CONSEJO NACIONAL DE LA MUJER INDÍGENA - Argentina
Tel +54(11)4581-4501-
E: [email protected] www.conamiargentina.es.tl
Fundacion Decenium [email protected]
PRONUNCIAMIENTO ANTE LA TERRORÍFICA REPRESIÓN AL PUEBLO DE ANDAGALA-CATAMARCA-ARGENTINA
IRN: Consejo de Residentes Indígenas en Holanda
Desde las Organizaciones aquí firmantes y adheridas:
Nos pronunciamos ante la profunda preocupación por los acontecimientos que vienen suscitándose en los pueblos de nueve provincias Argentinas en general y en particular los bloqueos contra La Alumbrera, en Catamarca, comprenden además de Tinogasta las localidades de Belén, Fuerte Quemado, Chaquiago y Choya. Amaicha del Valle-Tucumán.
Aún no se tiene una real situación de cuantos fueron los/as heridos/as que dejó el viernes el desalojo por parte de la policía de pobladores NO A LA MINERIA A CIELO ABIERTO, que cortaban una carretera desde hacía varios días para impedir solo el acceso de camiones a una mina en la provincia de Catamarca, en el norte de Argentina. Los incidentes se produjeron en la ruta 40 y 60 que conduce a la minera Bajo de la Alumbrera, La protesta forma parte de la ola de reclamos desatada en varios poblados del norte argentino QUE RECHAZAN LA ACTIVIDAD MINERA A CIELO ABIERTO.
Debemos recordar que en el informe anual, un comité de las Naciones Unidas (DESC) advirtió al Estado argentino por los desmontes, agro tóxicos, soja transgénica, minería a cielo abierto y violencia contra los pueblos indígenas.
Considerando: que los pueblos tienen derecho a exponer su preocupación colectiva ante la inseguridad de sus vidas “PRONUNCIÁNDOSE CONTRA LA MEGA MINERÍA CONTAMINANTE”.
POR LO TANTO EXIGIMOS:
· La inmediata puesta en libertad de todos los detenidos/as.
· Terminar con las represiones violentas e injustas.
· Revisión urgente de la ley de minería con la participación de todos/as.
· Aquellos que les afecta directa e indirectamente o sea a: SU… PUEBLO…
· El respeto a todos los Derechos Humanos de las personas comenzando por las embarazas, niñez, juventud, adultos/as mayores.
· El derecho a la libre expresión.
Atentamente.
Cesar Mercedes (IRN)
The work of one of our groups in Venezuela, Mujeres del Agua, has been described in an article in Últimas Noticias, a national newspaper with a wide circulation.
The article was written by Yolanda Jaimes, professor in law at the Central University in Caracas.
Manuela Gallini, member of our group Mujeres del Agua in Venezuela, has written an article on the situation in the south-east of the country entitled “Between Gold and Tradition”.
The original text in Spanish is available here, and a (rough) translation into English is available here.
LAMMP attended the introductory exchange between stakeholders and the United Nations’ Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, which was held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva on 20th January.
Project Director Glevys Rondón submitted the following:
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LAMMP works in Latin America in partnership with rural and indigenous groups suffering the impact of destructive mining projects.
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Our two key points to the working group are:
2.1. To focus your work on what is actually happening on the ground,where mining corporations are behaving irresponsibly. The Marlin mine in Guatemala is an emblematic example of what corporations can do: not just to undermine peace and the rule of law in the region but also to dismiss concerns presented by indigenous communities before the Inter American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) - the region’s most respected institution and an independent body of the Organisation of American States (OAS).
On the 20th May 2010 after studying evidence presented in 2007 by groups in support of Mayan communities directly affected by the Marlin mine (wholly owned by Canadian Goldcorp), the IACHR in an unprecedented step called (MC-260-07) on the government of Guatemala to adopt precautionary measures, including the suspension of the activities of the Marlin mine by 24th June 2010. The IACHR also ordered the government to implement effective measures to protect the health of more than 18 indigenous communities of San Miguel Ixtahuacán. In March 2010 the International Labor Organization (ILO) had also formally requested the mine’s suspension.
Despite promises that it would comply, a few months later (8th July 2011) the Guatemalan government concluded that there was no basis for suspending operation of the mine. Despite public outcry, on 11th July 2011 the government of Guatemala petitioned the IACHR to declare the precautionary measures to be without further effect. On 20th December 2011 the IACHR notified the Guatemalan government of its decision to withdraw its demand that Guatemala close Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine.
2.2 To focus your work on rural and indigenous women as the most vulnerable group within communities affected by mining projects. Their concerns are routinely ignored, and women who insist are ridiculed on the grounds that mining has no impact on the private world of women.
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As Professor Ruggie and the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous People have repeatedly stated, violations of human rights in Latin America are very serious and linked to mining activities. We urge the working group to consider visiting the region. We pledge our support to such a visit.
A declaration signed by many inhabitants of the area affected by the Rio Blanco mining project in Ecuador, declaring that they had never been consulted on the impact of the mine, was delivered to the offices of the Defensoría del Pueblo in Azuay.
More details are available here (in Spanish), and press coverage in El Tiempo and El Mercurio.
Two groups which LAMMP supports in Ecuador, the Frente de Defensoras de la Pachamama and the Frente de Mujeres Guardianas de la Amazonia met with officials from the Ombudsman in Quito.
They discussed the situation with Corriente Resources, and progress on the Rio Blanco project.
Further information is available in Spanish on their website.
Gecamin has organised the first international seminar on social responsibility in mining, in Chile, to promote an exchange of knowledge and ideas between industry practitioners and researchers working in the field of mining and social responsibility.
Details can be found on their website.
Amnesty International has issued an Urgent Action Alert for the circumstances surrounding mining in Santa Rosa, south-eastern Guatemala.
The alert is available in English and Spanish, and there is more information available on the website of MadreSelva.
