Guatemalan Prosecutor summons Tahoe Resources CEO to testify about criminalization of community leaders

For additional background on this case see the article: A cheat sheet for Kevin McArthur on Tahoe Resources' tactics to silence opposition in Guatemala

PRESS RELEASE 

Friday, October 17, 2014

Source: Committee in Defense of Life and Peace of San Rafael Las Flores - Guatemalan Centre for Environmental, Social and Legal Action (CALAS) 

 

(Guatemala City): Kevin McArthur, CEO of the transnational Canadian mining company Tahoe Resources Inc, owner of the subsidiary Minera San Rafael S.A., has been summoned by the District Attorney’s office in Villa Nueva, department of Guatemala to provide his declaration with regard to Minera San Rafael’s policy of criminalization against community leaders in the department of Santa Rosa who are in peaceful resistance to the Escobal mine. This declaration was requested as part of case MP015-2013-7757 for which the District Attorney is responible and in which regard the Manager of External Relations for Minera San Rafael, Camilo Ernesto Medina Mazariegos, has falsely accused without grounds the community leader and coordinator of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace of San Rafael Las Flores, Oscar Roderico Morales Garcia. This is the third time that Minera San Rafael has made efforts to criminalize Oscar Roderico Morales Garcia by way of its workers.

The summons for Kevin McArthur as CEO of Tahoe Resources to provide his testimony to the District Attorney’s office in the Municipality of Villa Nueva was presented to the office of Minera San Rafael in Guatemala City on the afternoon of October 15th, 2014. According to the order, Mr. McArthur is obliged to be present to make his declaration on October 21st at 10am.

The Committee in Defense of Life and Peace of San Rafael Las Flores and the Guatemalan Centre for Environmental, Social and Legal Action (CALAS) have been taking all possible legal actions to ensure that the CEO of Tahoe Resources appears in Guatemala to provide his testimony and demonstrate the policy of criminalization against activists and community leaders that Minera San Rafael has been carrying out.

‘Justice for Nature, Justice for Communities in Resistance’

For more information:

• Pedro Rafael Maldonado, General Director, CALAS, (502) 24744545, (502) 54178499, rafamaldonado(at)calas.org.gt 

Summary of Related Documents  
On October 10, 2014, Oscar Roderico Morales García made a request to the District Attorney’s Office in Villa Nueva, Department of Guatemala to summon Tahoe Resources CEO Kevin McArthur to testify in connection with criminal charges made against him by a Tahoe employee. The reason provided for the request was “To testify to the policy of criminalization that [the company’s subsidiary] has been carrying out against community leaders in resistance to the imposition of the Escobal mining project in the muncipality of San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa. This declaration will demonstrate that the complaint that has been made against me is part of a series of cases that Tahoe Resources Inc by way of Minera San Rafael, S.A. has undertaken in Guatemala against community leaders in the area of influence of the Escobal mine in order to effectively impose it on the community.” The request makes reference to rights enshrined in the Guatemalan Political Constitution and Procedural Criminal Code. See the summons issued by the District Attorney here.

On October 15, 2014, the District Attorney’s Office in the Municipality of Villa Nueva, Guatemala issued an urgent summons addressed to CEO Kevin McArthur at Tahoe Resources’ office in Guatemala City requesting his presence at the District Attorney’s office on October 21, 2014 at 10am or to communicate directly with the office by phone. He is asked to provide his testimony in response to Oscar Roderico Morales García's request. See original document signed by Auxilliary Attorney I Karen Jimena Ucelo Lima and received at the offices of Minera San Rafael S.A. in Gutemala at 3:40pm on October 15, 2015: MP015-2013-7757, Fiscalía Municipal de Villa Nueva, Guatemala, Agencia 3UDI.

NISGUA has accompanied communities in opposition to the Tahoe Resources Escobal mine since 2011.

Demanda en contra de Tahoe Resources – señal de alerta para inversionistas y canadienses

Fuente: Alerta Minera Canadá - Red en Solidaridad con el Pueblo de Guatemala (NISGUA) - Red Rompiendo el Silencio de las Provincias Marítimas y Guatemala

18 de junio de 2014

(Ottawa/Tatamagouche/Guatemala) Se presentó hoy día una demanda civil en Vancouver contra Tahoe Resources por negligencia y agresión en relación a un tiroteo en el proyecto argentífero de la empresa en Guatemala, lo que transmite un claro mensaje a inversionistas y a la población canadiense en general.

Victimas y sus abogados en Guatemala. Photo: Giles Clarke

Siete víctimas de un tiroteo que habría sido encargado por el ex jefe de seguridad de la empresa Tahoe Resources, Alberto Rotondo, han enjuiciado a la empresa por daños punitivos. Rotondo es un antiguo oficial de marina peruano ligado a proceso en Guatemala con cargos relacionados al ataque de mayo del 2013. La demanda canadiense representa uno de los muchos abusos vinculados al único proyecto de Tahoe, el cual se precipitó a la producción en enero del 2014 a pesar de la elevada oposición de las comunidades.

El desarrollo del proyecto argentífero Escobal de la empresa Tahoe Resources, en el suroriente de Guatemala, se ha caracterizado por violencia y represión.

“La represión de dirigentes comunitarios involucrados en la organización de consultas locales y manifestaciones pacíficas en contra de la mina de Tahoe se remonta al 2011. Alrededor de 90 personas han sido acosadas mediante persecuciones legales espurias, y en mayo del 2013 se declaró estado de sitio en la zona lindera a la mina, creando así un ambiente de temor e intimidación para acabar con la oposición local”, indica Ellen Moore de la Red en Solidaridad con el Pueblo de Guatemala (NISGUA por sus siglas en inglés).

Decenas de miles de personas han votado en contra de la minería en San Rafael Las Flores, donde Tahoe opera en la actualidad, y en los municipios lindantes donde la empresa espera llevar a cabo mayor exploración.

La abrumadora oposición se basa en preocupaciones por los impactos actuales y futuros de las operaciones de Tahoe en las fuentes acuíferas locales, al igual que en la salud de la comunidad y en actividades agrícolas. La mina de Tahoe se ubica a tan sólo 2 kilómetros del parque central en San Rafael Las Flores y a escasos metros de viviendas y ganado.

“La empresa tiene una historia turbulenta en Guatemala, lo que debería preocupar a la población canadiense y a los inversionistas”, observa Jackie McVicar de la Red Rompiendo el Silencio de las Provincias Marítimas y Guatemala. “Tahoe Resources surgió de la empresa Goldcorp de Vancouver, cuya mina Marlin en las sierras del noroccidente de Guatemala ha sido fuente de conflictividad y de constantes violaciones a los derechos indígenas y humanos en la última década.”

Goldcorp mantiene una participación del 40% en Tahoe Resources, y seis de los ocho miembros de la junta directiva de esta última están o estuvieron vinculados al gigante de la minería aurífera. La mayor parte de los canadienses también invierten en Tahoe Resources a través del Fondo de Pensiones de Canadá, cuyas acciones llegaron a un valor de CAD $49 millones el 31 de marzo del 2014.

Cabe resaltar que, al enfrentarse a demandas por parte de guatemaltecos/as, la empresa canadiense HudBay Minerals terminó vendiendo su proyecto de níquel Fénix a una firma rusa a un cuarto del precio que había pagado. Las tres demandas por el asesinato a mano armada del dirigente de derechos a la tierra, la violación colectiva de 11 mujeres maya q’eqchi’ y la parálisis de un hombre joven causada por arma de fuego siguen su curso en las cortes de Ontario.

“Los abusos por los que se enjuicia a Tahoe son la punta del iceberg en términos de las flagrantes violaciones vinculadas a las operaciones mineras canadienses en Guatemala y en toda la región”, observa Jen Moore, de Alerta Minera Canadá. “Esta demanda debería sonar la alarma a la población canadiense indicando un problema mucho más profundo con esta industria que las autoridades canadienses promueven incondicionalmente en el extranjero”.

Contactos:

Ellen Moore, Red en Solidaridad con el Pueblo de Guatemala (NISGUA), (011) 502 4141 1187, ellen(arroba)nisgua.org 
Jackie McVicar, Red Rompiendo el Silencio de las Provincias Marítimas y Guatemala, (902) 324-2584 btsguatemala(arroba)gmail.com
Jen Moore, Alerta Minera Canadá, (613) 569-3439, jen(arroba)miningwatch.ca 



ANTECEDENTES

El proyecto argentífero Escobal, de la empresa Tahoe Resources, se ubica en el municipio de San Rafael Las Flores en el suroriente de Guatemala. Ha sido objeto de oposición local y continuos procesos legales en contra de la validez de la licencia de explotación. Dirigentes comunitarios han sido reprimidos, criminalizados y violentados debido a su promoción de los procesos de consulta comunitaria. A pesar del conflicto – o quizás a causa de éste – Tahoe se precipitó a comenzar operaciones en la mina, incluso antes de establecer reservas minerales confiables. Según la empresa, la mina subterránea comenzó a operar en enero del 2014.

La mina de Tahoe carece de licencia social.

• Hasta la fecha, se han llevado a cabo 14 consultas en las que decenas de miles de personas en los seis municipios más cercanos al proyecto votaron en contra de la mina Escobal, debido a sus preocupaciones sobre los impactos ambientales y sociales actuales y futuros.

El proyecto Escobal ha llevado a violencia y criminalización.

• Alberto Rotondo, ex jefe de seguridad de la empresa y antiguo oficial militar de Perú, se encuentra en prisión a la espera de juicio por haber presuntamente ordenado a los guardias de seguridad abrir fuego contra manifestantes en frente de la mina el 27 de abril del 2013. Siete víctimas de este ataque presentaron en Columbia Británica una demanda civil contra Tahoe Resources por negligencia en relación al incidente.

• El gobierno de Guatemala decretó el estado de sitio por un mes luego del tiroteo del 27 de abril del 2013 en municipios en que el voto en contra de la mina había sido abrumador.

• En junio del 2012, Tahoe presentó una demanda contra el gobierno de Guatemala, exigiéndole cumplir un rol más activo en la protección de la mina. La corte de Guatemala desestimó la demanda en febrero del 2013, unos pocos meses antes de imponerse el estado de sitio.

• Desde septiembre del 2012, más de 90 personas han sido sindicadas con cargos criminales infundados, debiendo soportar las dificultades y pesadumbre de los procesos legales que esto implica. Algunas de ellas tuvieron que pasar meses en la cárcel antes de quedar absueltas de todo cargo.

Los entes regulatorios guatemaltecos otorgaron a Tahoe la licencia de explotación sin antes conocer los recursos presentados por pobladores, poniendo en tela de juicio la validez de la licencia.

• Poco antes de otorgarle a Tahoe la licencia de explotación el 3 de abril del 2013, el Ministerio de Energía y Minas de Guatemala desestimó y dejó sin resolver unos 250 recursos presentados por pobladores.

• En julio del 2013 los querellantes presentaron un amparo por la desestimación de uno de los recursos, el cual fue otorgado, poniendo en duda la validez de la licencia. Se espera que la Corte de Constitucionalidad de Guatemala emita en breve la decisión final.

Debido a sus estrechos vínculos con Goldcorp, Tahoe conoce los riesgos de proseguir sin el consentimiento de la comunidad y con un proyecto que ya ha llevado a violencia y represión.

• Goldcorp mantiene una participación del 40% en Tahoe Resources.

• Seis de los ocho miembros de la junta directiva de la empresa son o han sido ejecutivos en Goldcorp, incluyendo al fundador y presidente de Tahoe, Kevin McArthur, que fue presidente de Glamis Gold y de Goldcorp hasta el 2008.

• La mina Marlin de Goldcorp en Guatemala también comenzó a operar en medio de oposición y represión generalizadas. Como resultado, ha sido objeto de repetidas declaraciones internacionales en materia de derechos humanos urgiendo la suspensión de la mina, e indicando preocupaciones por los impactos en la salud de la comunidad, en el ambiente, y por el derecho a la libre determinación de las comunidades indígenas mayas del alrededor.

• La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos abrió recientemente un caso por violaciones a los derechos indígenas y humanos en la mina Marlin.

Tahoe Resources Inc. es una empresa de exploración y desarrollo argentífero, que cotiza en la bolsa de valores de Toronto y de Nueva York, con oficinas en Vancouver, Columbia Británica, Canadá y Reno, Nevada, EEUU. Escobal es su único proyecto.

Sipakapa is still not for sale...

Neither are San Rafael Las Flores, Nueva Santa Rosa, Mataquescuintla, Jalapa nor Santa Rosa de Lima.

In 2005, the communities of Sipakapa carried out one of the first community consultations on mining in Guatemala, taking a stand against Canadian giant, Goldcorp Inc., and sparking a movement that has resulted in over 70 referenda throughout the country to date.

Communities opposing mining in their territory warn of environmental destruction, poisoned water sources and community division. Goldcorp's Marlin mine, which began extracting gold in 2005, has soundly delivered on all three of the concerns outlined by affected communities, while Tahoe Resources' Escobal mine, which began commercial production a month ago, seems poised to follow suite.

In addition to expanding the Marlin mine to include extraction from underground tunnels, Goldcorp and Guatemalan subsidiary EntreMares, have initiated development of a new open pit project named Los Chocoyos in neighboring Sipakapa. The Los Chocoyos license was granted in 2006 and renewed twice before the Environmental Impact Assessment was approved in February 2013, giving the go ahead for exploitation at the mining site. While Goldcorp lauds the municipal government of Sipakapa for its support of mining, the company fails to recognize that public opinion is divided and widespread opposition exists.

In May 2013, the Maya Sipakapense Council and over one thousand supporters gathered in front of the municipality to express their opposition to the municipal government's proposal to repeat the 2005 community consultation, which voted against mineral exploitation in their territory. In June, thousands marched to celebrate the eighth anniversary of their consultation. In September, hundreds of protesters temporarily blocked the Inter-American Highway to demand an end to Goldcorp's Marlin operations. A month later, community members gathered again to call on the mayor to respond to concerns previously presented by communities and to put an end to the municipal government's stigmatization of community leaders opposing mining. 

Community members gather in the municipal hall to commemorate the 8th
anniversary of the community consultation in Sipakapa (Photo SaraGuate)

Communities opposed to Goldcorp's Los Chocoyos project
 march in Sipakapa (Photo SaraGuate)

In December, representatives from the Maya Sipakapense Council and the Western People's Council (CPO) presented a legal action against the Director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines for violation of the right to free, prior and informed consent as outlined in ILO Convention 169 regarding Indigenous Peoples and supported by a 2011 ruling in Guatemala's Constitutional Court. 

“The Maya Sipakapense People will not allow more abuse and displacement. It is for these reasons that on December 11, 2013, we presented a Constitutional complaint... in order to achieve, in a legal and peaceful way, the annulment of the Los Chocoyos license and the immediate departure of the mining company.” - Press release Maya Sipakapense Council, January 14, 2014

In a political action intended to draw attention to the December legal complaint, thousands of protesters gathered on January 14 to express their opposition to Goldcorp's newest project. Community members from surrounding departments and municipalities, many of whom also oppose Goldcorp projects in their territory, joined the Sipakapense people, to form a peaceful march of an estimated 5,000 people. During the course of the day, a worker was taken into custody by those gathered as a pressure tactic. The police responded by apprehending two protesters. Shortly after, those captured on both sides were released.

Protesters in Pie de la Cuesta demand the suspension
 of Goldcorp's Los Chocoyos mine (Photo CPO)

Protests and marches are often considered a “last resort” by communities that have attempted for years to express their opposition to projects through legal actions and community referenda without results. One reason why protest has become so costly in Guatemala is that community leaders and human rights defenders at the forefront of movements in defense of territory are often slapped with unfounded legal suites filed by companies or their associates with the purpose of undermining and criminalizing social movements.

Not surprisingly, less than a month after the January march, 13 legal cases were filed in San Marcos against community members from Sipakapa for alleged criminal activities carried out on they day of the January 14 protest. The 13 community members include seven people from Pie de la Cuesta, the location of the Los Chocoyos project, the January 14 protest, as well as home to numerous members of the Maya Sipakapense Council. For many, the accusations come as a complete surprise, as they were in the neighboring municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacán holding a press conference on the day of the protest.

As Goldcorp continues to expand, so does community opposition and increased social conflict. Tahoe Resources, a company made up of 40% Goldcorp investment shares and that has structured its management team around ex-Goldcorp employees, most importantly former Glamis Gold CEO Kevin McArthur, is unsurprisingly following in Goldcorp's shameful footsteps. Since Tahoe began the development of its Escobal silver mine in the department of Santa Rosa in southeastern Guatemala, the communities surrounding the project have experienced conflict, violence and massive criminalization of peaceful protest.

Santa Rosa de Lima No se vende - protest on February 14
against Tahoe Resources voluntary royalties (Photo Parlamento Xinca)

Tahoe Resources has brushed off community opposition by claiming that protesters are shipped in from neighboring municipalities who are unaffected by the silver project. The case of Sipakapa and the fact that Tahoe and Goldcorp mining concessions extend into the nearby municipalities of Jalapa, Santa Rosa de Lima and Nueva Santa Rosa, Casillas, Jutiapa and Mataquesquintla, clearly demonstrate that Tahoe will not stop at the Escobal mine. Sipakapa serves as an example that community opposition, despite setback and division, will not stop either.

With information from Breaking the Silence Network

Take action: Tell Tahoe Resources to pack its bags and leave Guatemala!

The time has come to support community resistance to the Escobal mine by echoing their voices internationally. 

Take Action! Write Kevin McArthur, President of Tahoe Resources, to demand the company respect communities' right to self-determination and leave Guatemala!

Since communities surrounding Tahoe Resource's Escobal silver mine first organized community consultations against the project in 2011, NISGUA has closely followed and reported on ongoing resistance to the mine. During the past year, conflict around the mine site located in San Rafael las Flores in southeast Guatemala has intensified. For in-depth NISGUA analysis on community opposition to the Escobal mine and other movements in defense of territory, read our detailed report, Exercising rights: Communities defend territory.

In May 2013, a series of referenda on the future of the Escobal project in mine affected communities of San Rafael Las Flores was abruptly cut short when the government called for a state of siege in the region. The state of siege, just one step away from a state of war, undermined legitimate resistance and quashed the consultation process.

In the days following the declaration of the state of siege, former security manager for Tahoe Resources, Alberto Rotondo, was charged with ordering the April 27 attack that seriously wounded six community members. A report recently made public revealed that in mid-2012, Rotondo authored an incident report for Tahoe subsidiary, Minera San Rafael, that outlined a strategy to respond to community opposition through the criminalization of community and religious leaders. 

In addition to expressing opposition to the project through community consultations, more than 200 individuals affected by the Escobal project filed legal complaints about the project with the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM). MEM dismissed all of the community complaints, clearing the path for the granting of Tahoe's mining license. The complainants appealed MEM's dismissal, and in July, a Guatemalan court ruled in their favor, a decision that partner groups believe should effectively suspended the company's exploitation license. Despite these still unresolved questions, Tahoe has moved forward with production, reporting its first shipment of mineral concentrate on October 15.

Take action: tell Tahoe Resources to leave Guatemala!