Commemorating 10 years of community consultations in defense of land and life

For generations, indigenous communities in Guatemala have held consultations to make decisions on issues affecting their people and their lands. While the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996 facilitated the adoption of national laws and international agreements that recognized the particular rights of indigenous peoples, the post-conflict neoliberal economic model prioritized resource extraction — a practice fundamentally at odds with upholding these rights. Specifically, the 1997 Mining Law weakened oversight and lowered royalty rates for mining companies, and the 2005 Central American Free Trade Agreement further established foreign direct investment as a pillar of the Guatemalan economy.

Transnational mining and hydroelectric companies were given free rein to begin operations without the consent of impacted communities, and they quickly gained access to huge swaths of land in order to carry out resource exploration and exploitation activities. In a land mass comparable to Tennessee, over 360 mining licenses have been issued and more than 600 are pending.

This month, NISGUA releases a report documenting the referenda movement in Guatemala as a community strategy to defend land against mining and other mega-development projects. We invite you to read the full report, "Commemorating 10 years of community consultations in defense of land and life" in English here. The report is also available in Spanish.

Communities in Santa Cruz del Quiché unanimously vote
against resource extraction. Photo credit: James Rodríguez, mimundo.org

Over the past ten years, more than a million people have voted in community referenda to ban mining activities on their lands. This ancestral decision-making practice is an act of resistance and expression of people power that has been a source of inspiration for movements for self-determination throughout the country and the world. 

But together with the force of the Guatemalan government, resource extractions are fighting back and actively seeking the detention of those who oppose their projects. In the past few years, dozens of people opposed to mining projects have been arrested on trumped-up charges and have spent months - and even years - in prison awaiting a trial. Today, eight community leaders from Huehuetenango who played key roles in the organization of consultations in their territory are in prison. These husbands, fathers, brothers and sons stood up to demand respect for the results of the consultation even as state violence and repression mobilized to impose the projects against communities’ will.

We invite you to read the full version of the report and take action to support the political prisoners from Huehuetenango who continue to stand up for land and life.

"We are a peaceful people" - Mataquescuintla celebrates 2nd anniversary of municipal referendum against mining

"Second Anniversary, Municipal Consultation as requested by Residents."
Photo: CPR Urbana

“Authorities will come and go, but it’s the responsibility of the people to uphold this decision,” says Moisés Divas to a large crowd gathered in the central park in the municipality of Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, located less than six miles from Tahoe Resources' Escobal silver mine. Two years ago, 98% of the population voted “NO” to the presence of metallic mining on their territory. Last week, hundreds gathered to celebrate the second anniversary of the consultation and to make sure the decision sticks.

"The referendum was a moment when the people could make their voices heard," says Enrique López, member of the city council. "The type of development that is being imposed in this territory is not long-term development for our people." A community-based mapping project undertaken recently in the departments of Santa Rosa, Jalapa and Jutiapa demonstrates Tahoe's grip in the region – highlighting a territory almost completely covered by mining licenses. In addition to the already-operating Escobal mine, Mataquescuintla is impacted by six other metallic exploration licenses.

Residents of Mataquescuintla locate their home on a community map to learn
which mining license might impact their lives and livelihoods.

On November 11, 2012, more than 60% of registered voters in Mataquescuintla voted in a community referendum and 98% of participants – more than 10,000 people - voted to ban the presence of mining on their territories. Together, they joined other municipalities in the area in voicing their loud opposition to the presence of mining companies such as Tahoe Resources, who began commercial production of its silver mine in the area in January 2014.

A month before starting production, Guatemala's highest court ruled in support of Mataquescuintla's municipal referendum, striking down the lawsuit filed to challenge its constitutionality. The groundbreaking decision recognized the responsibility that municipal authorities have to convene such votes and to make decisions according to their results, affirming their value as “adequate means by which peoples may exercise their right to give their opinion and be consulted on topics of interest.”



The decision is particularly important given the government and company's unwillingness to recognize consultations as a legitimate form of decision making that reflects community support or opposition to large-scale projects on their territory. Despite this seemingly dismissive stance, various consultations in Tahoe's area of influence were challenged in Guatemalan courts. Additionally, in the municipality of San Rafael las Flores where the Escobal project is located, efforts to organize a municipal consultation were thwarted by a massive campaign to criminalize leaders demanding a vote. During the anniversary celebration, Moisés Divas reflected on this contradiction stating, “If they don't care about the consultations, if they don't think they are powerful, why do they put so much effort into blocking them?”

While Tahoe Resources publicly promotes that it holds widespread community support for its operations, municipalities surrounding the mine continue in opposition. For example, the municipality of Mataquescuintla has refused to allow Tahoe access to the electrical power station located inside their municipal jurisdiction. Instead operations at Escobal continue to be powered by temporary generators.

Mataquescuintla is not the only neighboring municipality that soundly rejects the company's presence. Four additional nearby municipalities have voted against the mine in municipal referenda, while more than half of the communities in the municipality of San Rafael las Flores - right where the Escobal mine is located - have also declared themselves in opposition.

Maria Antonia Solares from San Juan Bosco stands in front of the
 map highlighting the Tahoe license that covers her community.

Maria Antonia Solares from the nearby community of San Juan Bosco in the municipality of San Rafael las Flores was present at the celebration in Mataquescuintla. Residents of her community are also facing impacts from the Escobal mine and the real possibility of Tahoe expansion into their backyard with the already granted Juan Bosco exploration license.

"It's important to be here, to learn from one another," says Solares. "Even though this is not my home, I am motivated by seeing other people defend their territory in the same way we are in San Juan Bosco." 

NISGUA Fall Tour 2014

FULL ITINERARY:

SEATTLE, WA.; OCTOBER 2-6

Area Contact Phil Neff: phil.neff@gmail.com

OCTOBER 2

Seattle University, 1:30-2:30pm

901 12th Avenue

Bannan Building, Room 102

Seattle, WA 98122

Traditions Fair Trade Café; 7-8:30pm

$5-15 Sliding Donation

300 5^th Avenue SW

Olympia, WA 98501

OCTOBER 3
Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center, 5:00pm

With Special Guest: Ken Workman of the Duwamish Tribal Council

$5-15 Sliding Donation

4705 W Marginal Way SW

Seattle, WA 98106

OCTOBER 4

KEXP Radio Interview, 7:15-8:00am

Black Coffee Café; 1:30 - 3:30pm
Cosponsored by Rising Tide Seattle with Sweetwater Nannauck of Idle No More Washington

501 E Pine Street

Seattle, WA

St. Leo's Church Community Event; 6:15-7:45pm
710 S 13th Street
Tacoma, WA

OCTOBER 5

Rest

OCTOBER 6
University of Puget Sound, 12:30pm

Murray Board Room

Wheelock Center

University of Washington, 5:00pm

Allen Auditorium

482 Allen Library

Seattle, WA 98195

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PORTLAND, OR.; OCTOBER 7-8

OCTOBER 7

Lunchtime Talk with Lewis and Clark Law, 12-1pm
Sponsored by the Environmental Justice Advocates at Lewis and Clark Law School

10015 SW Terwilliger Blvd.

Portland, OR 97219

Contact: Jonathan Ostar – jon@opalpdx.org

Buscando America, Radio Program on KBOO Community Radio, 1:10-2:00pm
Listen live at kboo.fm or in Portland, OR at 90.7fm

Community event with American Friends Service Committee, 3:00pm

Multnomah Meeting House

4312 SE Stark Street

Portland, OR 97215

Contact: Pedro Sosa – psosa@afsc.org

Community event with OPAL - Environmental Justice Oregon, 6:00pm

2407 SE 49th Ave. (corner of Division St.)

Portland, OR 97206

Contact: Jonathan Ostar –  jon@opalpdx.org

OCTOBER 8
Portland Community College SE Campus, 11:00am-12:00pm and 12:00-1:00pm

2305 SE 82nd Avenue

Mt. Tabor Hall
Portland, OR 97216

Contact: Kathleen Holloway; khollowa@pcc.edu

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SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA,  CA.; OCTOBER 9-13

Area Contact: Megan Whelan; megan@nisgua.org

 
OCTOBER 9
City College of San Francisco, 10:30am

1125 Valencia Street, Room 109

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University, 2:00pm

1630 Holloway Avenue; Library Room 121

San Francisco, CA

OCTOBER 10

Santa Clara University, 11:45am

500 El Camino Real

Recital Hall (1^st floor in the Music & Dance Facility)

Campus Map: http://www.scu.edu/map/73/

Santa Clara, CA 95053

California Institute for Integral Studies, 7:00pm

1453 Mission Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

OCTOBER 12
Community event at the Mexican Heritage Plaza 10:00am
Sponsored by New Fire, The School for Arts and Culture and Teatro Visión

Lobby Meeting Room

1700 Alum Rock Avenue

San Jose, CA 95116

Indigenous Peoples Day Forum on Resistance and Resilience in the Face of Displacement; 4:30pm

Sponsored by: GABRIELA SF; Movement Generation; New Fire; APEN; AROC

Good Samaritan Family Resource Center

1294 Potrero Avenue

 San Francisco, CA 94110

OCTOBER 13

Indigenous People’s Day Sunrise Ceremony; 5:30am

Alcatraz Island

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WASHINGTON, D.C.; OCTOBER 14-15

OCTOBER 14

Brown Bag Lunch Presentation at the Center for International Environmental Law, 12:00pm

1350 Connecticut Ave NW Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20036
Contact: Amanda Kistler: akistler@ciel.org

OCTOBER 15

Howard University School of Law, 12:00pm

Pauline Murray Conference Room
2900 Van Ness Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
Contact:  profsimms@earthlink.net

UUCA/PAG event, 7:00pm

4444 Arlington Boulevard

Arlington, VA 22204

Contact: Erin Fitzgerald; erin.lynn.fitzgerald@comcast.net

Court rules that Guatemala must recognize results of community consultations

In an historic resolution, a Guatemalan Appeals Court ruled last week that the government must take into account the right to free, prior and informed consent when granting mining licenses on the lands of indigenous communities.

The ruling came in response to a legal action presented by the Sipakapense People's Council in March 2014, arguing that the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) failed to consider the results of a 2005 community consultation before granting the "Los Chocoyos" mining license to Entre Mares de Guatemala S.A., a subsidiary of Canadian mining company Goldcorp Inc. The 2005 referendum in Sipakapa overwhelming rejected mega-development projects on their territories, including mining, by a 99% margin.

The Sipakapense People's Council at a press conference after the Constitutional
Court ruled in their favor.
Photo: Consejo del Pueblo Maya

In their ruling, the court cited Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO 169), which grants indigenous communities the right of consultation before mega-development projects are constructed on their traditional lands. This international convention has been a vital resource for communities in Guatemala organizing in defense of their territories, especially when domestic law and the Guatemalan government has failed to provide legal pathways to reclaim rights to life and territory.

Community members commemorate the 8th
anniversary of the community consultation in Sipakapa, on June 18 2013.
Photo: SaraGuate

Since Guatemala ratified ILO 169 in 1996, legal uncertainty regarding the implementation of rights outlined in the international accord has left its application in a state of ambiguity. In previous rulings, the Constitutional Court established the legality of community consultations, however ruled that due to a lack of regulation regarding their implementation, the results do not have to be respected by state institutions - a tenuous position, as laws regarding the right to community referendum are outlined at the municipal level. This most recent ruling appears to strengthen the domestic standing of ILO 169 by requiring the government to recognize the results of community referendum when considering the allocation of mining licenses, but again stops short of making the results legally binding.

None the less, the court's latest decision represents an important victory for communities organizing in defense of life and territory, providing them with an important legal precedent that can be used in future court cases to compel the government to recognize the collective rights of indigenous peoples as well as their traditional forms of organization and representation.

The hillsides of Sipakapa, in north-western Guatemala.
Photo: James Rodríguez, mimundo.org

In accordance with the Constitutional Court's ruling, the results of the 2005 referendum will be handed over to MEM to be taken into account in their re-evaluation of the Los Chocoyos mining license, a process which the Ministry has six months to complete. The court has additionally ordered that MEM factor Guatemala's obligations as a signatory to ILO 169 into their consideration.

According to the Sipakapense People's Council, the implications of these rulings can only mean that the Los Chocoyos mining license is illegal and void, and as such all mining activity on Sipakapense territory must be immediately halted. To read the statement released by the Sipakapenses People's Council regarding the Constitutional Court's ruling, click here (in Spanish).

Organizaciones Indigenas denuncian propuesta de moratoria minera

LOS PUEBLOS ORIGINARIOS NUNCA HAN PEDIDO MORATORIAS; UN PRESIDENTE DEMOCRÁTICO DEBE SER CONGRUENTE CON LOS RESULTADOS DE LAS CONSULTAS COMUNITARIAS DE BUENA FE

El anunció del Presidente de la República de Guatemala de presentar una iniciativa de ley en el Congreso de la República para decretar “una moratoria por dos años para no dar más licencias para la minería metálica” en el país, mientras comienza el debate por una nueva Ley de Minería, en el Legislativo, no es novedosa ni trascendente para los Pueblos Originarios de Guatemala; su antecesor, el Señor Alvaro Colom Caballeros ya lo había ensayado. Retraer la moratoria para el otorgamiento de licencias mineras, es otra evidencia de lo precipitado e improvisa actitud del actual gobernante con la que se levanto la moratoria predecesora.

Aún, cuando los Pueblos originarios habían presentado una acción de inconstitucionalidad en contra de la actual Ley de Minería, el Ejecutivo realizó dos acciones desesperadas: a) la suspensión de la moratoria dejada por su predecesor y, b) la presentación de una iniciativa de reforma de la Ley de referencia.

Con la suspensión de la primera moratoria, masivamente se otorgaron inconsultamente licencias de actividad minera en territorios indígenas y, con la iniciativa de reforma de la ley, se evidencia la falta de patriotismo el resguardo de la soberanía nacional. Esta iniciativa maquiavélica detalla que, en caso de que se apruebe una reforma al Decreto 48-97, Ley de Minería, o se cree una nueva Ley, el recién entregado proyecto quedaría derogado. 

La iniciativa de ley de Moratoria -“suspensión de la emisión de licencias”- no tendrá vigencia de forma inmediata, ya que esta tiene que ser leída en el Pleno, enviarse a la Comisión de Energía y Minas para buscar su dictamen y luego retornar el proyecto para iniciar su discusión.

Esta iniciativa es una “cortina de humo y un perfecto show” que buscar apaciguar la resistencia comunitaria, los conflictos originados por la imposición del modelo minero en el país.  Esta propuesta es contradictoria, cuando en año y medio el Ejecutivo ha entregado alrededor de cien licencias de minería metálica. 

Los pueblos no han pedido moratorias en las consultas comunitarias; los pueblos han exigido al Gobierno respeto a las decisiones emitidas desde las consultas comunitarias de buena fe, en las cuales, se han rechazado rotundamente el modelo de muerte encubierto en la actividad minera.

Guatemala, no necesita saquear al país para generar su propio desarrollo, la actividad minera no es la alternativa única ni prioritaria para un modelo de desarrollo integral.  

Huehuetenango, julio de 2013

ASAMBLEA DE PUEBLOS DE HUEHUETENANGO –ADH-; 
MIEMBROS DEL CONSEJO DE PUEBLOS DE OCCIDENTE –CPO-

Se solicita a Comisión de Valores en Canadá investigar a Minera Tahoe luego de que escuchas telefónicas vincluan a sus empleados en hecho violentos en Guatemala

PARA DIFUSIÓN INMEDIATA
3 de junio 2013


(Toronto/Ottawa) El Proyecto Justicia y Responsabilidad Corporativa (Justice and Corporate Accountability Project - JCAP) en Canadá entregó el día viernes una queja a la Comisión de Valores de la provincia de Ontario en relación a la empresa Tahoe Resources (TSX: THO; NYSE: TAHO) por su deficiente divulgación de información sobre los casos de violencia vinculados a su único proyecto minero en el suroriente de Guatemala. 

El 27 de abril, empleados de seguridad dispararon e hirieron a seis personas que se encontraban en frente del proyecto minero Escobal. Las escuchas telefónicas encargadas por el Ministerio Público de Guatemala implican a empleados de la empresa minera en los hechos.

Según la evidencia de las escuchas telefónicas, Alberto Rotondo, gerente de seguridad de la empresa Tahoe, ordenó a las fuerzas de seguridad de la mina atacar a los manifestantes. Rotondo ha sido ligado a proceso por obstaculización de la investigación penal, y por lesiones leves y graves. Se encuentra bajo medida sustitutiva de arresto domiciliario, a la espera de una audiencia probatoria en julio de este año.

El asesor de seguridad de la empresa, Juan Pablo Oliva Trejo, también fue detenido en conexión con el ataque y ligado a proceso por el delito de encubrimiento propio. Según las escuchas telefónicas, Trejo ayudó a Rotondo a movilizarse durante los días siguientes al ataque y le advirtió a Rotondo que saliera del país para evitar conflictos legales.

Según las directrices de la Comisión de Valores, Tahoe Resources debe presentar cambios materiales “de inmediato”. Sin embargo, la divulgación de información por parte de la empresa ha sido insuficiente e inexacta.

“Nos preocupa que Tahoe Resources minimice la gravedad de los serios crímenes por los que se acusa a sus empleados en sus comentarios a la prensa y que no haya emitido una declaración oficial para corregir los errores en la información emitida anteriormente a que surgiera la evidencia de las escuchas telefónicas”, indicó el abogado Shin Imai, del JCAP, Facultad de Derecho Osgoode Hall en Toronto.

JCAP solicitó que la Comisión de Valores inicie una investigación basándose en la sección 75(1) de la Ley de Valores (Securities Act) de la provincia de Ontario. JCAP presentó la demanda en nombre de Alerta Minera Canadá y su contraparte en Guatemala, el Comité en Defensa de la Vida y la Paz de San Rafael Las Flores.

“Dado a que este es el único proyecto minero de la empresa, es importante que los accionistas y el público en general sepan que los empleados están implicados en ataques de esta magnitud, además de la constante y extensa oposición a la mina,” comentó Jen Moore de Alerta Minera Canadá.

Las comunidades locales han rechazado rotundamente el proyecto minero Escobal en las 12 consultas comunitarias llevadas a cabo hasta la fecha, y durante tres años se han mantenido en resistencia pacífica a la mina. El proyecto minero Escobal perteneció a Goldcorp Inc. hasta el 2010 y actualmente esta empresa posee 40% de las acciones de Tahoe Resources. En marzo de 2012, el Plan de Pensiones de Canadá (Canada Pension Plan) poseía el equivalente de US$8.7 millones en acciones de la empresa.

Se puede acceder a una copia de la carta entregada a la Comisión de Valores de la provincia de Ontario aquí (en inglés). Para más detalle, descargar esta Alerta para Inversionstas aquí (español). 

Contactos:

Shin Imai, Proyecto Justicia y Responsabilidad Corporativa (Justice and Corporate Accountability Project - JCAP), Facultad de Derecho Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, (tel) 647-524-2312, simai@justice-project.org

Jennifer Moore, Coordinadora del Programa de Latinoamérica, Alerta Minera Canadá, (tel) 613-569-3439, jen@miningwatch.ca

Proyecto Justicia y Responsabilidad Corporativa (JCAP) es una agrupación de abogadas/os y estudiantes de derecho dedicada a la investigación y asesoramiento sobre responsabilidad empresarial en América Latina.

Alerta Minera Canadá es una iniciativa pan-canadiense que cuenta con el apoyo de organizaciones ambientales, de justicia social, sindicales e indígenas, de todo el país. Su objetivo es responder de manera coordinada y en relación al interés público a los temas de salud pública, calidad del agua y aire, hábitat acuático y vida silvestre, e intereses de las comunidades, frente a las amenazas que imponen en estos temas las prácticas y políticas irresponsables sobre minerales en Canadá y en el resto del mundo..

Rubén Herrera Released from Prison!

Rubén Herrera and Cecilia Mérida moments after Rubén was liberated.

Yesterday, Rubén Herrera, unjustly imprisoned since March 15 for his resistance to the Cambalam hydro-electric project, was released from custody and cleared of all charges in one of two legal processes against him. The second process (176-2011) dating back to 2009, was provisionally closed at the request of the Public Prosecutor's office. Judge Miguel Gálvez of Guatemala City's High Risk Court “B” agreed with the prosecutor's assessment that the evidence against Herrera was imprecise and contradictory, and granted the prosecution a six month time frame to build a better case or present closing arguments. 

Beginning with Herrera's first hearing in Santa Eulalia, Huehuetenango, the Public Prosecutor's office has maintained that the case lacks evidence linking Herrera to the crimes. Despite these arguments the presiding judge in Santa Eulalia, at the request of co-plaintiffs Ecoener Hidralia Energía/Hidro Santa Cruz S.A, ordered the case forward. 

At the beginning of trial proceedings on Thursday, the Public Prosecutor reiterated its request to provisionally close both cases against Rubén Herrera citing a lack of evidence linking him to the accusations. What followed was an unusual scene, during which the lawyers at the prosecution table argued against each other. Lawyers for co-plaintiff Hidro Santa Cruz denounced the Public Prosecutor's “surprising” request and “passive attitude”, and requested that Judge Gálvez proceed to trial. Joining the Hidro Santa Cruz's legal team was a familiar face from the genocide trial, César Calderón, defense attorney for former director of military intelligence José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez. 

During the three hours that followed, the defense team representing Herrera argued the two separate cases, demonstrating both the political nature of the charges, the questionable behavior of representatives of the judicial system in Santa Eulalia, and the lack of concrete evidence against Herrera. 

In the 2012 case (65-2012), Judge Gálvez dismissed the charges outright. The case was permanently closed citing the fact that none of the testimonies provided by witnesses and victims in the case file even mention Rubén Herrera. In the 2009 case, Gálvez upheld the request from the Public Prosecutor to provisionally close the case stating that the accusations and arrest warrant were based on “two or three flimsy declarations”. Throughout the hearing, Judge Gálvez referenced his belief that social conflict in Barillas is the result of a lack of respect for international law protecting communities' right to consultation. 

In response to the provisional closure of the 2009 case, Cecilia Mérida, Rubén's life partner, stated that it will allow them more time to continue to disprove the allegations against Rubén; and more time to prove that he has been falsely accused by the company in order to undermine popular resistance to the hydro-electric project. Throughout the duration of his imprisonment, Herrera, Mérida and the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango (ADH) have continued their struggle in defense of territory in the face of rising repression and criminalization. Rubén declared soon after his release: "In prison I learned that it doesn't matter where you are, you can continue to fight.”

While the 2012 case against Rubén is closed, three of the 11 men unjustly imprisoned for eight months for their peaceful resistance to the Cambalam project continue to be linked to the same the May 1, 2012 incident and continue to await the permanent closure of their case. Likewise, 20 additional individuals still have arrest warrants pending against them related to the same event. 

Dozens of supporters packed the courtroom yesterday in support of Rubén and the struggle for communities' right to self determination. More than 2,800 people from the international community demonstrated their solidarity by signing the petition demanding Rubén's release and the end to persecution of community leaders, which was delivered to Guatemalan authorities last week. 

Supporters filled the seats and lined the aisles in support of Rubén.

The role of international solidarity continues to be important for the individuals, communities and organizations defending the right to consultation, particularly as criminalization of peaceful protest continues to intensify in Guatemala. In the words of the ADH: “In a very special way, we want to thank the show of solidarity with our cause. We are confident that this solidarity encourages and strengthens us to continue fighting.”


 NISGUA works closely with the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango (ADH) in their efforts to promote self-determination and alternative visions of development in the highland department of Huehuetenango. The ADH receives international human rights accompaniment from NISGUA through the ACOGUATE project and participated in NISGUA's 2010 tour.

International community calls for Rubén Herrera's immediate release

More than one year after President Molina declared a state of siege in Santa Cruz de Barillas, repression continues against community leaders resisting the Cambalam hydroelectric project, operated by Spanish owned Hidro Santa Cruz. Violence and criminalization against leaders defending territory and the right to self determination has been on the rise in Barillas since the 2007 community consultation rejecting large-scale development projects in their territory.   

Since March, NISGUA has reported on the detention of Rubén Herrera, community leader and member of the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango for the Defense of Natural Resources (ADH). Herrera has been unjustly imprisoned for more than two months on trumped up charges related to resistance to the Cambalam project. Despite requests by Guatemala's Public Prosecutor to dismiss the case due to a lack of evidence, the judge ordered the case forward.

In response, NISGUA together with the Guatemala Human Rights Commission, gathered more than 2,800 signatures from 52 countries demanding Rubén's immediate release and an end to the criminalization of human rights defenders.  

Rubén Herrera, unjustly imprisoned since March 15

The signatures were delivered to Guatemala's Public Prosecutor's office in anticipation of  Rubén's May 30 pre-trial hearing. Originally slated to be heard in Santa Eulalia, Huehuetenango, Rubén's hearing was recently transferred to Guatemala City.

“The decision of the Supreme Court to transfer Rubén Herrera's case to Guatemala City is a favorable resolution because it is an opportunity for the case to be heard in a specialized court, which gives us greater confidence that the false accusations presented by the Hidro Santa Cruz will be disproven,” stated Alba Cecilia Mérida, Herrera's life partner and human rights activist. “It means that Rubén will have a greater possibility of due process in the application of justice.”

May 1 march in Huehuetenango: "No More Repression, Liberty for Rubén Herrera"

In April, the persecution of leaders resisting the Cambalam project continued with the kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pedro Mateo, cultural leader and prominent defender of the 2007 community consultation in Barillas. Community members from eight municipalities in northern Huehuetenango mobilized during three days in order to locate Pedro Mateo's remains.

Just a few weeks later, terror once again gripped residents of Barillas when community leader Mynor López was detained by plain clothed men, later determined to be police officers, and forced into an unmarked vehicle. Some residents, believing López was being abducted, mobilized to ensure his release. In response anti-riot police already in the community fired at the crowd with tear gas. In a press release, the ADH denounced the irregular detention of Mynor López as well as the ongoing criminalization of leaders.

The state's pattern of systematic criminalization and persecution of community leaders defending territory was demonstrated again in early April when President Molina implemented of another state of siege in four municipalities surrounding Tahoe Resources' Escobal project, located in San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa. As in Barillas, leaders demanding the right to consultation have been targeted; 12 members of the committee organizing community referenda in San Rafael Las Flores had their homes raided and searched during the weeks long state of siege.

"Instead of listening to the legitimate demands of the people, the state and the companies have implemented a strategy to discredit and delegitimize peaceful community struggles in defense of life and territory," said Francisco Rocael Mateo of the ADH. "This criminalization is a strategy to demobilize community resistance."

Read NISGUA's full press release in English and Spanish.


NISGUA works closely with the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango (ADH) in their efforts to promote self-determination and alternative visions of development in the highland department of Huehuetenango. The ADH receives international human rights accompaniment from NISGUA through the ACOGUATE project and participated in NISGUA's 2010 tour.

Tahoe Resources Investor Alert calls Guatemala project a Dangerous Investment

(Ottawa/Guatemala City) – Yesterday, the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) and MiningWatch Canada warned Tahoe Resources investors against further investment in the Escobal silver project, given lack of community support and increasing violence and repression in the area. Risks identified include:

1. Tahoe Resources does not have the social license to operate the Escobal project;
2. It is likely that conflict and violence will persist if the mining project continues to be imposed without community consent, given recent violence attributed to public armed forces, an illegal armed group and the company’s private security;
3. Implication of company private security in recent acts of violence could lead to civil lawsuits as has taken place in relation to other mining conflicts in which Canadian companies are involved;
4. Tahoe Resources is already under investigation in Guatemala for industrial contamination of water supplies near the Escobal mine site;
5. Failure of Guatemalan regulators to address residents’ complaints prior to granting company’s exploitation license is under appeal, which could put Tahoe’s exploitation license in jeopardy;
6. By repeating patterns seen in Guatemala’s mining sector in connection with Goldcorp’s Marlin mine, including lack of respect for prior community consultation, targeting of peaceful protesters through the judicial system and putting the project into production in the midst of violence and repression, the company is likely to be the object of further protests.

The project is located in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores in the department of Santa Rosa where for over three years local communities have been peacefully demonstrating their opposition to the mining project given concerns over potential social and environmental impacts. Twelve municipal and community level plebiscites have been carried out in which over 90% of participants voted against the mine.



Tahoe Resources’ received its license to put the Escobal silver mine project into operation in early April despite widespread social opposition to the project and unaddressed complaints against the granting of the permit.



Tahoe’s project has provoked an increase in conflict in the region, which recently escalated on April 27 when the company’s private security shot at community members, injuring six men, two of them seriously. Contrary to company statements, a spokesperson for the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City indicated that live ammunition was used. Alberto Rotondo, security manager for Minera San Rafael, Tahoe Resources’ wholly owned Guatemalan subsidiary, has been arrested and charged with with causing mild and serious bodily harm, and for obstructing the investigation by tampering with the crime scene. Two more supposed mine employees have been arrested in connection with the recent violence, including the killing of a police officer.



On May 2, the Guatemalan government declared a state of siege in San Rafael Las Flores, where Tahoe’s Escobal project is located effectively making public protest and further community consultations illegal as long as the measure remains in place. Local activists have been among those targeted in raids and detentions. 



NISGUA and MiningWatch Canada will be sending their report to key analysts and shareholders in Tahoe Resources Ltd. including the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, which holds 439 thousand shares in Tahoe worth approximately $9 million CAD.



The investor alert can be downloaded here.

NISGUA has accompanied the consultation processes in the communities surrounding the Tahoe Resources mine site since 2011.

Guatemalan gov't declares state of siege in municipalities surrounding Tahoe Escobal mine

During the early hours of Thursday, May 2, one day after the first anniversary of the state of siege in Santa Cruz de Barillas, Huehuetenango, the Guatemalan government declared another state of siege in four municipalities surrounding Tahoe Resources’ Escobal mine. The imposition of martial law comes less than one month after Minera San Rafael, Tahoe Resources wholly-owned Guatemala subsidiary, received its final permit for mineral exploitation. The permit was granted without the consent of the affected communities and in a context of escalating violence and criminalization against human rights defenders and their legal council.

Over the past three years, four municipalities, including two of those currently under a state of siege, carried out municipal level community referenda rejecting mining projects in their territory. During the past two months, eight villages in San Rafael Las Flores have carried out community referenda, given that attempts to organize a municipal level consultation were thwarted by legal appeals and injunctions filed by individuals who work for Minera San Rafael. In each of these referenda, the population voted overwhelmingly against the Escobal project.

"With the referedum we decide our future" Banner of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace (Photo: NISGUA)

In a press conference yesterday, President Otto Pérez Molina and Minister of the Interior Mauricio López Bonilla explained that the suspension of basic civil liberties is in effect for the municipalities of Casillas and San Rafael Las Flores, in the department of Santa Rosa, as well as Jalapa and Mataquescuintla, in the department of Jalapa.

State of siege in Santa Rosa and Jalapa (Photo: MiMundo.org)

While Pérez Molina and López Bonilla claim the state of siege is not in response to mine opposition, their actions suggest otherwise. Prominent community activists, members of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace, and leaders of the community referenda in San Rafael, had their homes raided by police early Thursday morning. The government has issued at least 18 arrest warrants for individuals allegedly involved in delinquent acts, including Roberto Gonzalez president of the Xinca Parliament and Rudy Pirvaral of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace.

In statements to the press Bonilla attempted to explain that mining opposition has been used as a pretext for the establishment of organized crime in the region. "There is a difference between legitimate conflict and pseudo-conflict...by saying that they are opposing [the mine] through delinquent acts, they are hiding behind the excuse of mining opposition. It favors them to make people believe that there is conflict over mining in all of the municipalities."

State of siege in Santa Rosa and Jalapa (Photo: MiMundo.org)

The past week has seen an increase in conflict and violence in the departments surrounding the mine site.

On Saturday, April 27 mine security shot at and injured six community members, as they walked on a public road located in front of the mine installations. One of the men remain in the hospital in critical condition. Alberto Rotondo, head of security for Tahoe Resources' subsidiary, Minera San Rafael, is being held responsible for the attack. Medical personnel confirmed the attack was carried out with live ammunition, as well as rubber bullets, despite initial declarations from the company and López Bonilla which claimed only non-lethal measures were used. On the morning of April 30, Guatemalan authorities arrested Rotondo in the airport as he attempted to flee the country. Rotondo has been formally charged with attempted homicide.

On Monday the 29th, as Minera San Rafael management and the Guatemalan government signed an agreement outlining the royalties to be paid to the state, more than 2,000 residents of San Rafael Las Flores took to the streets in a peaceful march in opposition to the mine project. Later that afternoon, community members intercepted and detained 23 members of the national police in Jalapa, believing that they were mobilizing to repress the march in San Rafael. An operation carried out by the national police the following day resulted in the release of the officers.

Later that same day, a member of the National Police was killed in an armed attack carried out by a group of masked men in Sabana Redonda, a community located near the mine site. While this incident is still under investigation by Guatemalan authorities, the attack matches the pattern previously denounced by human rights organizations, which is characterized by illegal clandestine groups intent on creating instability in the region and delegitimizing peaceful opposition to the mine.

These recent events highlight the need for an in-depth investigation into the attacks and violence being carried out in communities surrounding the mine site, as was called for in the petition of over 4,000 signatures delivered by NISGUA to Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s office in early April.

Despite government claims on Thursday that they are in dialogue with mine affected communities, the deployment of 8,500 military and police to the four municipalities suggests otherwise. Far from acting as a mediator, the Guatemalan government has instead chosen to respond to conflict with the repression of communities opposing large-scale development projects and the stigmatization of community leaders and human rights defenders.

NISGUA has been accompanying the consultation processes in the communities surrounding the Tahoe Resources mine site since 2011.

Genocide trial opens amidst attacks against community leaders

"The past is still present."
-- Independent journalist, commenting on recent attacks against activistson the eve of the Ríos Montt trial

On Sunday, March 17, the President of the Xinca Indigenous Parliament and three other Xinca leaders were abducted by a group of heavily armed men. While two of the kidnapped men escaped, Exaltación Marcos Ucelo was found dead early Monday morning. After more than 24 hours missing, Roberto Gonzalez Ucelo, President of the Xinca Parliament was found alive.

TAKE ACTION: Call for an investigation and the departure of Tahoe Resources in response to recurring violence

The four Xinca leaders were on their way home from observing a community consultation in El Volcancito, San Rafael Las Flores when they were attacked. The community consultation is the third in a series of 26 referenda planned in the municipality. Read more about the ongoing consultation process.

El Volcancito holds a community consultation on March 17 (credit: NISGUA)

In response, Interior Minister Mauricio López Bonilla made statements in the press conflating the non-violent community organizing in the municipalities of Mataquescuintla and San Rafael Las Flores with this and other recent violence. His comments are further evidence of ongoing stigmatization and criminalization of human rights defenders in Guatemala, an issue that was raised specifically with regard to the situation in San Rafael Las Flores in the UN’s report on Guatemala delivered this January.

On Friday, March 15, human rights defender and member of the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango (ADH), Rubén Herrera, was arrested for alleged crimes committed in relation to the Barillas case, a conflict stemming from the Guatemalan government's lack of respect for the community consultation process carried out in 2007. Despite a clear rejection of large-scale development projects in their territory, the government granted Hidro Santa Cruz S.A. permission for construction of the Cambalam hydroelectric dam.

In a hearing held on Tuesday, March 19, Herrera was denied bail and accused of 12 crimes, including kidnapping and terrorism. Despite arguments from the defense team and the Public Prosecutor's office demonstrating the lack of evidence linking him to these crimes, the judge denied Herrera's bail and ordered the case to move to pretrial proceedings on May 30. Read the ADH urgent communique here.

Rubén Herrera of the ADH (credit: James Rodríguez, mimundo.org)

NISGUA stands in solidarity with the Rubén Herrera and the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango in denouncing the systematic criminalization and persecution of community leaders and human rights defenders.

These incidents come on the heels of the Constitutional Court decision to uphold the 1997 Mining Law against a constitutional challenge presented by the Western Peoples’ Council (CPO) for lack of prior consultation with indigenous peoples. The current mining law fails to fulfill national and international mandates that require the State to consult with indigenous people regarding projects or policies that will significantly impact their territories.

NISGUA, together with the Coalition against Unjust Mining in Guatemala, submitted a press release critiquing the Guatemalan Government's denial of justice for indigenous peoples affected by mining.

“Not only is this ruling a negation of justice, it is a negation of the existence of indigenous peoples' right to participate as political actors,” said Francisco Mateo Rocael, representative of the Western Peoples' Council in response to the Court's ruling. Read NISGUA's full translation of the CPO statement.

NISGUA has accompanied communities and organizations resisting Tahoe's Escobal project since 2011. NISGUA also works closely with the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango (ADH) in their efforts to promote self-determination and alternative visions of development in the highland department of Huehuetenango. The ADH receives international human rights accompaniment from NISGUA through the ACOGUATE project and participated in NISGUA's 2010 tour.

We are all Barillas - Statement of the Western Peoples' Council

Unofficial translation by NISGUA
Comunicado original en español

¡In Defense of Life, Territory, Mother Earth and the collective Rights of our Peoples!

 “WE ARE ALL BARILLAS”

No to the submission of the Guatemalan state to multinational companies.  Yes to life.

To:

Our indigenous brothers and sisters around the world

And the national and international public

Our people have a long history of ongoing struggle to defend Mother Earth in the face of multinational companies that operate with the support of the Guatemalan state apparatus.  This situation in the country worsened on May 1 with the continuation of a plan of repression against community resistance.

Nine days have passed since the cowardly assassination of community leader Andrés Francisco Miguel and the attack on Pablo Antonio Pablo and Esteban Bernabé Gaspar, two others leaders who were injured. Security personnel from Hidro Santa Cruz Anonymous Society, in charge of the Cambalam I project, caused the attack.  Once again, institutions in charge of investigations to identify and prosecute the material and intellectual authors of this crime have failed to act quickly to comply with the Rule of Law.

This catalyzing incident led the government to decree a State of Siege and to reposition the Army and the National Civil Police Force to protect company interests as part of a pre-established plan.  Over the course of the past nine days, government forces have once again installed a state of terror, displacement and pillage in Q'anjob'al territory, as well as other communities and adjoining indigenous territories.  Communities have suffered numerous types of abuses.  Fundamental human rights, both individual and collective, have been curtailed and violated.

The establishment of a State of Siege only demonstrates the incapacity of state institutions to promote the participation of the [nation's] most marginalized communities in integral processes to guarantee their own well-being and uphold their basic rights.

We hold the military government of Otto Pérez Molina responsible for acting in complicity with the Hidro Santa Cruz, S.A., a company that has, in numerous ways, disrupted the harmony, peace and ways of community life.   The State of Siege, with raids, arrests and the sacking of family belongings, has once again forced [the population] to emigrate from their communities looking for refuge in other departments and in Mexico.  The brutal actions carried out recently exceed those employed during the armed conflict, while at the same time confirming their continuity.  Leaders have been detained despite the lack of evidence to incriminate them.  The Public Prosecutor's Office and the judges should release [these individuals] immediately, as two of our sisters have already been released.

The re-militarization of our indigenous territories constitutes a gross violation of international humanitarian laws ratified by the Guatemalan state and of the Peace Accords, which the president himself signed.

We, as indigenous peoples, along with broader social movements, have contributed to a proposed alternative model founded in the appropriate, equitable and responsible use of natural resources.  The proposal has continuously been refused in order to prioritize the voracity of the neoliberal model violently imposed upon us.

As the Western Peoples' Council:

1. We stand in solidarity with our brother ANDRÉS FRANCISCO MIGUEL and we demand that the state and the company compensate his family.  The blood he shed in Poza Verde will not remain in impunity.  His story feeds and strengthens our fight for the construction of a new dawn for our peoples.

2. We stand in solidarity with our wounded brothers Pablo Antonio Pablo, Esteban Bernabé Gaspar, the 15 people arbitrarily detained and the families who have had to flee and seek refuge locally and internationally.

3. We call upon our brothers and sisters of the municipality of Barillas to maintain their unity and conviction in the struggle for the defense of our territories as a legacy of our grandfathers and grandmothers.

4. We demand respect for life, an end to the pillaging of our Mother Earth, the cancellation of the State of Siege, and an official declaration that the mining law is unconstitutional.

5. We denounce the deputies of the Congress of the Republic who ratified the State of Siege as accomplices in the violation of constitutional order.

6. We request that the Constitutional Court reestablish sua sponte the constitutional order in Santa Cruz Barillas that was violated by the State of Siege.

7. We call for unity and the permanent defense of our territories, because history has demonstrated that what happens today in Barillas, will happen tomorrow across the nation.

ANDRES FRANCISCO MIGUEL

Hero and martyr in our peoples' struggle in defense of Mother Earth.

Chnab’jul, Huehuetenango, May 9, 2012

*URGENT COMMUNIQUE*

*URGENT COMMUNIQUE*

To the national and international public, regarding the recent events in the municipality of Santa Cruz Barillas Huehuetenango, WE DECLARE:

Yesterday, at around one o'clock in the afternoon, armed men ambushed three community leaders as they returned from the municipal center to their nearby community of Posa Verde, where the Hidro Santa Cruz company plans to build a hydroelectric dam.  In the attack, Andrés Francisco Miguel was killed, and Pablo Antonio Pablo and Esteban Bernabé were seriously injured.  One of the men had refused to sell his land and had suffered legal persecution by the company.

According to the people injured in the incident, their aggressors were traveling in vehicles similar to those used by the Hidro Santa Cruz company.  The local population assumed that people linked to the company were involved in the incident, due to the use of the vehicles, as well as other recent events.  Two weeks ago, community members filed a legal complaint with the authorities after discovering homemade explosives in company facilities.  Others have reported acts of intimidation, including legal persecution, the co-opting of leaders, and threatening phone messages, carried out to protect company interests.

It should be noted that the social conflicts in Barillas are directly related to the project authorization and operations of Hidro Santa Cruz, S.A.  The company has been favored by multiple governments, but has failed to respect the affected population's right to free, prior and informed consultation.

Reacting to this situation, indignant community members acted with anger to demand justice and provoked riots.  As a result, the government is evaluating the declaration of a state [of siege], thereby limiting constitutional rights.

THE WESTERN PEOPLES' COUNCIL, along with human rights and environmental organizations, emphatically state our rejection of the vandalism committed in Santa Cruz Barillas.  At the same time, however, we believe that these acts are the result of the imposition of the Hidro Santa Cruz project, which is endorsed by the government, but does not have the consent of the affected population.

In order to quickly resolve this conflict, WE DEMAND:

A)      The immediate revision of the respective file and the suspension of the construction and operation licenses for the Cambalam hydroelectric dam.

B)      The withdrawal of the company from the area and an investigation into [potential] company responsibility for the incident.

C)     The formation of a high-level commission, with the participation of civil society organizations, to support the investigation and the assignment of responsibility for the events that took place on May 1 of this year in Barillas.

D)     Government-provided protection and security for the population of Barillas, according to the concept of democratic security laid out in the Peace Accords, rather than the suspension of constitutional rights.



Huehuetenango, May 2, 2012

*COMUNICADO URGENTE*

*COMUNICADO URGENTE*


Ante la opinión pública nacional e internacional, ante los últimos acontecimientos sucedidos en el municipio de Santa Cruz Barillas Huehuetenango MANIFESTAMOS:


El día de ayer a eso de la una de la tarde;  hombres armados emboscaron a tres personas, líderes comunitarios;  que retornaban de la cabecera municipal hacia su comunidad cercana a Posa Verde,  lugar donde la empresa hidrosanta cruz pretende construir una hidroeléctrica; como resultado de ese atentado el señor Andrés Francisco Miguel resultado fallecido y  gravemente heridos Pablo Antonio Pablo y Esteban Bernabé; uno de ellos se ha negado a vender sus tierras y ha sufrido persecución legal por parte de empresa.


Las personas heridas en este hecho, relataron que sus agresores se conducían en vehículos similares a los de la empresa Hidro Santa Cruz, por lo que población asumio que este acto fue promovido por personas vinculadas a dicha empresa, lo cual tiene relación con la denuncia que se hizo hace dos semanas cuando los comunitarios descubrieron y  denunciaron a las autoridades correspondientes;  la existencia de explosivos caseros en las instalaciones de la empresa; a ello se suma las acciones de intimidación que la empresa ha impulsado para hacer valer sus intereses como la persecución legal, coptación de líderes,  mensajes telefónicos con amenazas.


Es de hacer notar que los conflictos sociales en Barillas están directamente relacionados con la autorización y operaciones de Hidro Santa Cruz, S.A. que ha sido favorecida por los gobiernos de turno, sin dar cumplimiento al Derecho a la consulta previa, libre e informada los habitantes afectados.


Ante esta situación pobladores indignados reaccionaron de forma enardecida exigiendo justicia y provocando disturbios;  y como consecuencia  el gobierno evalúa declarar Estado una de las formas de limitación de los derechos constitucionales.


EL CONSEJO DE PUEBLOS DE OCCIDENTE y organizaciones de derechos humanos y ecologistas, queremos aclarar enfáticamente nuestro rechazo a la comisión de los actos vandálicos sucedidos en Santa Cruz Barillas; pero también consideramos que son consecuencia y resultado de la imposición de un proyecto por parte de la empresa Hidrosanta Cruz y el aval del gobierno, sin el consentimiento de la población.


Para encontrar una rápida solución a este conflicto, Exigimos:

A)      La inmediata revisión administrativa del expediente respectivo y suspensión de la licencia de construcción y operación de la Hidroelectrica Cambalam.

B)      El retiro de esta empresa en la zona; que se investigue su responsabilidad en este hecho.

C)     Que se conforme una comisión de alto nivel con participación de organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil, para apoyar la investigación y deducción de responsabilidades sobre lo ocurrido el día uno de mayo de este año en Barillas.

D)     Que el Gobierno de Guatemala, brinde protección y seguridad a la población de Barillas y no la suspensión de sus derechos constitucionales, sobre la base de la seguridad democrática en el marco de los Acuerdos de Paz.



Huehuetenango, 02 de mayo de 2012.

Se celebra consulta comunitaria en Sacapulas, El Quiché

Miembros de la Coordinadora de Comunidades de Sacapulas en Resistencia y en Defensa de los Recursos Naturales y el Medio Ambiente, ente organizador de la consulta, desdoblan mantas bajo las ceibas de la plaza central de Sacapulas. Graham Hunt

El 20 de mayo, 2011, en la quinta consulta comunitaria llevada a cabo en el departamento de El Quiché, 28,209 mujeres, hombres y jóvenes residentes del municipio de Sacapulas levantaron la voz* para pronunciar un retundo NO a la entrada al municipio de compañías nacionales y transnacionales con fines de explotar los recursos minerales e hídricos.  La decisión histórica fue asistida por el 59.01% de la población, y el voto femenino representó el grueso de la participación adulta, mientras que el voto juveníl, por su parte, constituyó casi el 47% del total.  Al nivel nacional, hasta la fecha, más de 660,000 guatemaltecas y guatemaltecos han rechazado la imposición de megaproyectos en sus territorios por medio de 61 consultas comunitarias.

*Todos los enlaces incluidos en este reportaje conducen a http://consultasacapulas.tk3.net/, la página oficial de la consulta.  Entre otras informaciones, en la página se destaca un video documentando el proceso que conllevó la consulta comunitaria, así como la información oficial y pública sobre los megaproyectos en el área  que se les proporcionó a las comunidades de Sacapulas.

Miembros de la Coordinadora de Comunidades de Sacapulas y voluntarios arman la tarima que ocuparán los conductores de la consulta en la plaza central de Sacapulas.

Miembros de la Coordinadora de Comunidades de Sacapulas alistan los vehículos que trasladarán a los observadores nacionales e internacionales a las distintas comunidades del municipio. Graham Hunt

El proceso de conscientización que culminó en la consulta comunitaria fue conducido por la Coordinadora de Comunidades de Sacapulas en Resistencia y en Defensa de los Recursos Naturales y Medio Ambiente, ente representativo integrado por delegados de cada microregión del municipio.  La Coordinadora nació en respuesta a la preocupación popular generalizada que se generó a raíz del conocimiento público, por medio de información pública y oficial de los ministerios del gobierno, de la existencia de cinco licencias mineras sobre el territorio del municipio, así como proyectos mineros e hidroeléctricos en municipios aledaños susceptibles de aftectar la población de Sacapulas.   Dichos megaproyectos fueron aprobados sin el consentimiento libre, previo e informado de las comunidades del área.

Imagenes de la asamblea llevada a cabo el 9 de abril del 2011, en la cual se tomó la decisión colectiva de celebrar una consulta comunitaria en el municipio de Sacapulas. Graham Hunt

La Coordinadora habiéndose hecho cargo de llevar a la población la información pública referente a los proyectos desarrollándose sobre sus comunidades, a lo largo y a lo ancho del municipio se sostuvieron asambleas microregionales en donde se le consultó al público cómo proceder frente a la amenaza a su bienestar.  En cada sector se ratificó la necesidad de llevar el debate al pleno de comunidades, y de esta manera, en una asamblea universal sostenida el 9 de abril del 2011, se decidió someter a consulta popular la cuestión de los megaproyectos extractivos en el municipio de Sacapulas.

Así como en el resto del municipio, los comunitarios de la aldea Tzununul expresaron un rotundo rechazo a las actividades extractivas de empresas nacionales y transnacionales en Sacapulas. Graham Hunt

En un acuerdo municipal emitido tras una sesión pública celebrada el 11 de mayo del 2011 (ver la parte inferior de la página), el honorable Concejo Municipal de Sacapulas, presidido por el Alcalde Municipal, el Profesor Pedro Pú Tojín, tomando en cuenta que "[s]egún copias de documentos que se tienen a la vista el día de hoy, presentadas por los miembros de la Coordinadora de comunidades en resistencia en defensa de los recursos naturales y el medio ambiente del Municipio de Sacapulas, consta que en diversas fechas la Dirección General de Minería del Ministerio de Energía y Minas recibió para su trámite solicitudes de licencias de exploración y explotación minera en la circunscripción territorial de Sacapulas, así mismo se tiene conocimiento que por parte del I.N.D.E. [(Instituto Nacional de Electrificación)] se tiene planificado construir una hidroeléctrica denominada "Serchil" sobre la rivera del río negro [sic] que atraviesa nuestro municipio,"  acordó "avalar el proceso de consulta comunitaria a todas las comunidades del municipio de Sacapulas del departamento del Quiché". Asimismo,  en el acuerdo, el Concejo Municipal hace constar "[q]ue la Municipalidad, con el apoyo de los Alcaldes Auxiliares de todas las comunidades de Sacapulas, con fecha dos de diciembre del año dos mil nueve y ocho de diciembre de dos mil diez, presentaron dos memoriales en contra de la actividad minera".

En la consulta de Sacapulas, participó cada segmento de la población: mujeres, . . .
Graham Hunt

. . . hombres, . . .
Graham Hunt

. . . y juventúd.
Graham Hunt

Graham Hunt

Se congregan residentes del casco urbano de Sacapulas para emitir su voto.  La manta dice "Agua y tierra para los pueblos, no para las empresas."
Graham Hunt

Al igual que en las comunidades, los residentes del casco urbano expresaron un rotundo NO a la imposición de proyectos extractivos en su territorio. Graham Hunt

Residentes del casco urbano firman el registro oficial en el cual se hace constancia de sus votos.
Graham Hunt

El Alcalde Municipal de Sacapulas, el Profesor Pedro Pú Tojín, se dirige al público.
Graham Hunt

El Párroco de Sacapulas imparte al público palabras de felicitación y animación.  "Esto no tiene nada que ver con cuestiones ideológicas-políticas", manifestó, "esto ha nacido--ha brotado--de discernimiento, ha brotado del derecho de organizarse y de defender lo que Dios, nuestro Señor, ha dado a cada pueblo, a cada familia".
Graham Hunt

Miembros de la Coordinadora de Comunidades de Sacapulas trabajan en la mesa de computo.
Graham Hunt

Apróximadamente a las 9:30 de la noche, la Coordinadora de Comunidades de Sacapulas da a conocer de los resultados del conteo preliminar de los votos.
Graham Hunt

.