Crumbling political support for Tahoe Resources in Guatemala

Article written in collaboration with MiningWatch Canada and the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network. 

If the militarized security strategy that Tahoe Resources has used to put its Escobal silver mine into operation isn’t enough to raise questions about the ethics of the company’s operations in Guatemala, the recent resignation of Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina should be. Pérez Molina stepped down on September 2 after Congress voted to strip him of his political immunity. A week later, he was indicted on charges of illicit association, customs fraud, and bribery for his involvement in a customs network that robbed tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money.

Rewind to July 2013, when former President Otto Pérez Molina made a personal site visit to the Escobal mine located in San Rafael las Flores in the department of Santa Rosa. The visit took place just a few months after Tahoe’s head of security was arrested for his role in the shooting of seven peaceful protesters and a subsequent month-long military state of siege was imposed on four municipalities in the area. While at the mine, Pérez Molina mingled with workers and filmed a national television address affirming support for the project. 

Former President Otto Pérez Molina poses with Escobal mine
workers. Photo: Tahoe Resources

Today, Pérez Molina is accused of heading “La Linea” customs network that is said to have benefited transnational companies by offering lower tariffs in exchange for handsome pay-offs to politicians. Vice-president Roxana Baldetti has also been indicted on the same charges and over a dozen cabinet ministers potentially implicated in the fraud scandal have resigned, including Minister of Energy and Mines, Erik Archila. Archila approved Tahoe’s exploitation license in April 2013 without taking into consideration over 250 individual complaints filed against the license for potential impacts on water and health of the local population.

While it is unclear if Tahoe or other North American mining companies benefited from the fraud ring, the company’s cozy relationship with Otto Pérez Molina's scandal-ridden government has been well documented. During his administration, state-sponsored repression plagued communities in resistance to Tahoe and has facilitated the imposition of the Escobal mine against the will of the local population. 

It is too soon to know how the recent general election results may change this arrangement, but cracks have already started to show at the local level where Tahoe has also relied on close political relationships. 

Cracks in Tahoe’s privileged political support

During the past four years, Tahoe has relied on the mayor of San Rafael Las Flores to prevent local communities from holding a referendum about whether or not they want mining in their municipality. While the six municipalities surrounding the Escobal mine held referenda overwhelmingly rejecting mining, residents of San Rafael las Flores were denied this important opportunity. Instead, nine villages within the municipality organized their own referenda, in which the majority overwhelmingly rejected the Escobal mine. 

Results from Guatemala's general elections held September 6 indicate an important shift in support for Tahoe Resources in San Rafael las Flores, as well as in the surrounding areas. In San Rafael Las Flores, Roberto Pivaral, member of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace who was an early victim of Tahoe's strategy to criminalize opponents, won enough support in rural areas of the municipality to win the mayoral race on a pro-referendum platform. 

Municipalities surrounding Tahoe’s Escobal project vote against mining

In the neighboring municipality of Mataquescuintla, where 96% of voters opposed mining in a 2012 referendum, Hugo Loy was re-elected as mayor. Loy has openly opposed Tahoe’s presence in the region and has fought hard to uphold the results of the 2012 vote by opposing the construction of an electrical line between Mataquescuintla and the Escobal mine. Opponents to mining in Mataquescuintla have faced severe threats and violence, including the 2014 attack in which 16-year old Topacio Reynoso was murdered and her father Alex was seriously injured. 

Rejection of Tahoe Resources also came through loud and clear in two other municipalities close to the Escobal mine. In Santa Rosa de Lima, residents ousted the candidate who had accepted royalty payments from the company, and instead, elected community leader and pro-referendum candidate, Llan Carlos Dávila. In Nueva Santa Rosa, voters re-elected the current mayor who, due to community pressure, has so far upheld the results of the consultation and refused to accept mining royalties. 

Tahoe Resources' selective amnesia

In a press release issued following President Pérez Molina’s resignation, Tahoe Resources asserted that all is calm in Guatemala and that business will continue as usual. Tahoe expressed support for acting President Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre, who became Vice President after the resignation of Roxana Baldetti. Tahoe stated Maldonado has been "the force of calm in the country" and that "his leadership has been viewed within Guatemala as very positive." 

However, Tahoe fails to mention that Maldonado, a former Constitutional Court judge is also a founding member of the now non-existent National Liberation Movement party (MLN in Spanish), an extreme right-wing political party known for its connection to death squads in the 1960s. The company also doesn't say that during his time in the Constitutional Court, Maldonado voted to annul the historic 2013 genocide sentence and one year later, voted for the early removal of respected Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz. 

Finally, Tahoe assures investors that, “The embassies of Canada and the United States are heavily involved in assisting and supporting the Guatemalan government’s efforts to maintain order and peace and assure stability during these difficult times." But, far from deserving congratulatory remarks for their role, serious questions should be raised about what North American Embassies in Guatemala might have known about rampant corruption in the Otto Pérez Molina administration, and be challenged for their willingness to demonstrate support for such a repressive regime in order to protect Canadian and U.S. economic interests in the country. Rather than providing staunch support to ensure the interests of mining companies, such as Tahoe Resources, Goldcorp, Kappes, Cassidy & Associates and others, they should order investigations as to whether these companies were at all benefiting from the customs fraud ring and make a commitment not to provide any support for mining activities where communities have not given their consent.

Communities defend right to clean water, continue to speak out against Tahoe's dirty mine

In honor of World Environment Day, communities impacted by Tahoe Resources' Escobal mine did what they have consistently done since the mining company came on to their lands - stand up for land, water and life against mega-development extraction. The situation is critical: just over a year into the start of commercial production at the massive silver mine, water contamination and scarcity is already being reported and confirmed by community members, government officials and environmental organizations.

Beneath the rain, over a hundred people gathered outside the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) to denounce the Initial Environmental Assessment (EAI) for the Juan Bosco exploration license, owned by Tahoe Resources' subsidiary, Minera San Rafael. Despite widespread resistance to the mine and a 2013 referendum where the community of San Juan Bosco overwhelmingly rejected the presence of the mine, MARN approved the initial assessment in December 2014, putting Tahoe is one step closer to constructing its second mine in the area. Its flagship Escobal project in neighboring San Rafael las Flores began commercial production in January 2014.

Major concerns about the impact the Escobal project is having on the local water supply motivated people from San Juan Bosco and surrounding communities to take legal action to prevent the company's expansion. A preliminary injunction filed by the Center for Environmental Legal Action (CALAS) against MARN was recently accepted by a Guatemala judge. The complaint centers on the fact that the Juan Bosco EAI is for a low impact project, which is inappropriate for a mining project. The positive decision by the judge means that the approval of the EAI has been temporarily suspended. Nevertheless, community members report that the company continues to purchase land in the area.

"They call us terrorists. They say our demonstrations are violent. But look around. We're here, peacefully demanding that MARN stop authorizing these EIAs. We're talking about our land. This isn't just our struggle - it should be everyone's," said one community member from San Juan Bosco at the protest outside of MARN. 

In 2012, CALAS also filed a complaint for contamination of the Escobal Creek and the El Dorado River, located near the community of Los Planes, just steps from Tahoe’s project. The alleged offense occurred while the project was still in the exploration phase. In April of this year, Tahoe's administrative manager for its Guatemalan subsidiary, Carlos Roberto Morales Monzón, was indicted by a Guatemala judge on charges of industrial contamination and sent to pretrial detention. He was released on bail several weeks later, but remains under house arrest awaiting trial.

The charges in this case were recently backed by a report published by the MadreSelva Collective, an environmental organization that has been monitoring water quality at six points located up and down river from the Escobal mine for the past three years. The report concludes that the monitoring point closest to the mine on the Escobal Creek is the site of water discharges from underground mine operations and contains high concentrations of chemical elements and potentially toxic metals, which present serious implications for the health of residents, their crops and animals. It also documents the drying up of at least 18 wells in communities within the municipality of San Rafael las Flores, were the mine is located. 

Those gathered outside MARN also highlighted the 250 complaints related to concerns over water that were filed against the Escobal project before the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) granted the exploitation license. Even thought Guatemalan law states that all complaints must be resolved before the exploitation license can be granted, all 250 were dismissed the day the license was granted. A lawsuit is pending in Guatemala’s Constitutional Court for lack of due process in this regard, which has raised questions about the legality of Tahoe’s exploitation license.

"We already see the negative impacts of the Escobal mine," says one community member from San Rafael las Flores. He works digging wells in the community and surrounding areas for potable water. "Since Escobal started operating, we're seeing these wells dry up.... Enough is enough. It's time that the government and company stop intimidating the people in San Rafael las Flores and the surrounding areas for standing up against the mine.” he says.

Member of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace in San Rafael Las Flores Detained

UPDATED May 1, 2015
Last night, Roberto de Jesus Pivaral y Pivaral was release from police custody due to lack of evidence, and all charges against him were dropped. Pivaral was charged with murder on April 21 (see information below). He was held for 10 days after being arrested by the National Civil Police accompanied by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Pivaral is a founding member of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace of San Rafael Las Flores.


On April 21 at approximately 7:30pm, Roberto de Jesus Pivaral, founding member and part of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace of San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa, was detained by members of the Guatemalan Civil Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office at his home. According to his family, a judge’s order for his capture was not presented before he was taken to the court house in San Rafael Las Flores. The Public Prosecutor’s twitter page states that Mr. Pivaral is accused of the murder of Wosbeli Gómez Sandoval in 2014, a candidate for the Unidad de Nueva Esperanza (UNE) political party.

The Committee in Defense of Life and Peace was created as a form of resistance to Tahoe Resources’ silver mine, which began extracting silver in 2014, and has organized good-faith community referenda regarding metal extraction in communities throughout municipality since 2011. Though the Committee had presented the required number of signatures to request such a vote at a municipal level, the Municipal Mayor and his council has denied the request on several occasions.

Roberto Pivaral leading a march in San Rafael Las Flores asking the
mayor of the municipality to hold a community consultation about metal
mining in the area. Photo: CPR Urbana

In April 2013, 16 out of 23 local development councils (COCODES) from the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores presented an open letter callingon the President of Guatemala to cancel the exploitation license that had recently be granted to Minera San Rafael. Last year, when Mr. Pivaral made his intention to run for mayor of San Rafael Las Flores known, he vowed to represent the more than half of the communities from the municipality that have publically shown their opposition to the mining project, in addition to those who had repeatedly asked the current administration for the right to hold a community referendum. He has also played a lead role in organizing the consultations that have taken place at a local level. Mr. Pivaral was anticipating running with the Lider political party in September’s elections.

Over 90 people have been criminalized in the municipalities around Tahoe’s Escobal mine for their opposition to the project. The Committee in Defense of Life and Peace of San Rafael Las Flores has been especially targeted and the trial against Oscar Morales, another founding member and coordinator of the Committee, began last Thursday. Mr. Morales has been accused of uttering threats against the Manager of External Relations for Minera San Rafael. According to his lawyer from the Centre for Legal, Environmental and Social Action (CALAS), this is the company’s third attempt to criminalize Mr. Morales.

Roberto de Jesus Pivaral is currently being held in the El Boqueron detention centre waiting to hear when his first audience before a judge will take place.

Tahoe Resources’ Administrative Manager detained on charges of industrial contamination

(Guatemala City/Ottawa) Monday, a Guatemalan judge denied bail to the Administrative Manager and Legal Representative, Carlos Roberto Morales Monzón, of Tahoe Resources’ subsidiary, Minera San Rafael S.A., and ordered him to pre-trial detention on charges of industrial contamination. The Guatemala's Public Prosecutors' Office for Crimes Against the Environment launched an investigation in 2012 into the company’s contamination of water sources near its Escobal silver mine. The trial date is set for June 12.

Tuesday, Tahoe Resources issued a press release downplaying the decision and Carlos Roberto Morales Monzón’s role in the company, referring to him as an “employee”, not the “mine manager”. Nonetheless, a February 2013 Constitutional Court decision refers to Mr. Morales Monzón as the Administrative Manager and Legal Representative for Minera San Rafael. The company also said it will appeal Monday’s decision.

“This is remarkable. Tahoe Resources now has two managers from the Escobal mine in pre-trial detention, beginning two years ago with the company’s former security manager who was detained on charges of assault and obstruction of justice. It will be even more remarkable if these cases continue to proceed,” stated Ellen Moore for the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala.

The criminal case, which carries a sentence of up to eight years in prison if convicted, is the result of a complaint that the Center for Social Legal Action in Guatemala (CALAS) filed for contamination of the Escobal Creek and the El Dorado River, located near the community of Los Planes, just steps from Tahoe’s project. The alleged contamination occurred while the project was still in the exploration phase.

The Guatemalan Ministry of Health confirmed that a discharge of water from the mine installations was contaminated with suspended solids. Around this same time, local residents were reporting that contamination was affecting water used for crop irrigation. Since then, community members have been denouncing increasing scarcity of water in the area immediately surrounding the project, similarly believed to be a result of Tahoe’s mine. This latter concern is not part of the legal process.

“With several legal processes underway against the company and its affiliates, along with ongoing community resistance to the mine and its expansion plans, it should be ever more clear to investors that this company is a dangerous investment,” commented Jen Moore for MiningWatch Canada.

The extent of local concern over negative environmental and social impacts, present and future, of the mine on water supplies and community wellbeing has generated widespread community opposition to the project. As of March 2013, tens of thousands had voted against the project in local plebiscites and residents had filed more than 250 specific complaints against the granting of Tahoe’s final permitting license. The Ministry of Mines and Energy dismissed the complaints without consideration immediately before granting the company a license in April 2013. A lawsuit is pending in Guatemala’s Constitutional Court for lack of due process in this regard, which has raised questions about the legality of Tahoe’s exploitation license.

Protests that emerged in the wake of the Ministry’s hasty decision to grant Tahoe's final permit faced police repression and an armed attack by company security guards on April 27, 2013 that left seven men injured. This latter event is the subject of a criminal case in Guatemalan courts against Alberto Rotondo, former security manager for Tahoe Resources, accused of having ordered and then attempted to cover up the attack. The seven men have also brought a civil suit against Tahoe Resources in British Columbia for negligence and battery in connection with the shooting.

In January 2015, the Norwegian Ethical Fund recommended against investing in Tahoe Resources, citing “unacceptable risk of the company contributing to serious human rights violations through its operation” at the Escobal silver mine in southeastern Guatemala.

Contacts:
Ellen Moore, Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), ellen(at)nisgua.org, (510) 868-0612
Jackie McVicar, Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network, jackiebtsguatemala(at)gmail.com, (502) 4824-0637
Jen Moore, MiningWatch Canada, jen(at)miningwatch.ca, (613) 569-3439

For more information about this situation, follow tahoeontrial.net.

How a quasi-military project was created to protect the Escobal mine

An affidavit given on November 24, 2014 by Donald Paul Gray, vice president of the Canadian mining company Tahoe Resources Inc., has shed light on the strong interests at play since 2011 in contracting private security companies for the Escobal mining project in San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa. His affidavit points to the relationship between private security companies, with ties to military and intelligence services that carry out large military projects in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the mining and construction operations in Guatemala.

Written by Luis Solano / Translation by NISGUA
Read the original article in Spanish.
April 7, 2015

The affidavit was given by the vice president of the mining company to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in response to a lawsuit filed against Tahoe Resources on June 18, 2014 by community members of San Rafael Las Flores. The lawsuit stems from an attack carried out by private security acting on orders from the head of mine security, Alberto Rotondo Dall'Orso, in which the seven plaintiffs were injured.

Tahoe Resources Inc., a mining company with offices in Reno, Nevada, United States and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, operates the mining project in San Rafael through its subsidiary, Minera San Rafael, S.A. (MINERASA). It is for this reason that the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit with the Supreme Court of British Columbia, where it is currently being processed.

Tahoe Resources Inc. was founded by senior executives of the Canadian mining industry, particularly linked to Glamis Gold and Goldcorp. The company came to the forefront in 2010 thanks to the Escobal project, which it acquired from Goldcorp on May 3, 2010, seven months after Tahoe was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act of British Columbia. The sale was finalized on June 8 and included control of the Minera San Rafael, S.A., recently registered by attorney Jorge Asencio Aguirre and which Goldcorp maintains 40% of shares.

Asencio Aguirre is an important cornerstone to this process. He is the legal representative of the mining companies Montana Exploradora, Entre Mares, Explotaciones Mineras of Guatemala (EXMINGUA) and MINERASA and helped create reforms to the 1997 Mining Law, according to statements he made on January 23, 2005 on the television program "Libre Encuentro."

Since 2011, when the mining project came under the control of Tahoe Resources, community opposition has intensified as demonstrated by protest marches and municipal consultations that have taken place in the neighboring municipalities of Nueva Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa de Lima and Casillas.

During this period, several acts of violence have occurred. One of the most dramatic events took place on April 27, 2013, when private security guards from the company Alfa Uno – associated with the Israeli company Golan Group - acted on orders of the then-head of security Alberto Rotondo Dall'Orso and indiscriminately shot at community members who were peacefully protesting in front of mining facilities in San Rafael Las Flores. Seven community members were injured.

"We have to protect investors." Óscar Berger, President of the Republic of Guatemala. Press conference, January 11, 2005.

As a result, on May 2, 2013, the government declared a State of Siege in four municipalities in the departments of Jalapa and Santa Rosa, militarizing the area under the guise of combating organized crime. The underlying reasons for the government’s response were published by Plaza Pública and revealed the contradictions between the actions taken and the real purpose behind them: to protect private mining interests.

On June 18, 2014, the seven people injured filed a lawsuit against Tahoe Resources Inc. with the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The plaintiffs are: Adolfo Agustín García, Luis Fernando García Monroy, Artemio Humberto Castillo Herrera, Wilmer Francisco Pérez Martínez, Erik Fernando Castillo Pérez, Noé Aguilar Castillo and Misael Eberto Martínez Sasvin.

The lawsuit charges the company with the violent repression of peaceful protesters, based on the fact that Tahoe controls all important aspects of the operation of the Escobal mine, including security practices and policies, and community relations.

The lawsuit states, "Tahoe expressly or implicitly authorized the conduct of Rotondo and security personnel" and was negligent in preventing Rotondo and other security personnel from using excessive force. The plaintiffs argue that as owner of the subsidiary MINERASA, Tahoe is responsible for what transpired.

Tahoe denies that Rotondo is responsible. Instead, the company places blame on the Golan Group for not following international standards for security service providers. This stance is expressed by the company in the 2014 Annual Report of the Board of Ethics for the Government Pension Fund Global of Norway, published on January 26 of 2015. The report recommends the "exclusion of Tahoe Resources Inc. due to unacceptable risks of the company contributing to serious human rights violations."

Communities speak out against the Escobal mine: we are still here, we are still in resistance

"In the face of a storm, some animals go underground and bury their heads. But eagles fly above the storm. We need to be like the eagles...with this storm upon us, we choose to rise higher, knowing that our struggle is one that has value and dignity." Teresa Muñoz, San Jose la Sierra

On March 1, 2015, Teresa Muñoz addressed hundreds of people in the town square in Nueva Santa Rosa to reiterate one seemingly simple but overwhelmingly complex reality: "We are still here. We are still in resistance."

She was joined by dozens others in loudly stating their ongoing opposition to the Escobal silver mine operating in the nearby municipality of San Rafael las Flores, in southeastern Guatemala. Recent statements by the U.S.-Canadian mining company Tahoe Resources that opposition to its Escobal project has disappeared did not resonate with locals who had gathered to hear the stories of those repressed and criminalized during the 2013 state of siege aimed at quelling dissent.

Teresa, who confirmed continued resistance in the face of fear, was joined by more than a dozen others in recounting the negative impacts of mining, pointing to the family divisions, criminalization, and remilitarization that have taken place following the arrival of the transnational mining company to the area.

In May 2013, Teresa fled from her home in the community of San Jose la Sierra and walked more than 70 kilometers to Guatemala City. She ran from the Guatemalan military who had come to her community to arrest her during the state of siege enacted by the government of Otto Peréz Molina in the neighboring municipalities of Mataquescuintla, San Rafael las Flores, Casillas and Jalapa.

Teresa sits in front of her home in San Jose la Sierra.

Although the pretext for the siege was to combat narco-trafficking in the area, Teresa and many others who had spoken out against the presence of the mine found they were on a list for arrest. Some went into hiding while others went to prison, and after seven months, a Guatemalan court dismissed all charges for lack of merit. People returned home to find the subsistence crops they had planted months prior were ruined, cows recently purchased were starving, and newborn babies they had left had grown dramatically.

Together with other members of the Diocesan Committee in Defense of Nature (CODIDENA), Teresa spoke about the real impacts criminalization has had in her life and the life of her community. But while the U.S. and Canadian Embassies back up Tahoe's claim that opposition is no longer a reality in the area, Teresa affirms: "The face of the resistance may have changed slightly, but we're still here and we will always be while God continues to grant us life."

A young community member from Volcancito speaks about the need she felt - alongside dozens of others - to leave school in protest after the teacher accepted gifts from the mine. Community members point to the deception tactics the company uses to try to quell local opposition, gifting school bags, corn, fertilizers and other items in an attempt to show popular support for the mine.

Artemio speaks about his experiences being shot by private security outside the mine on April 27, 2013. A criminal case is currently being processed against Alberto Rotondo, the former head of security who allegedly ordered security to open fire on peaceful protestors. Artemio, alongside at least 6 others, were shot. Tahoe Resources is also currently facing a civil lawsuit in Canada for violence at the mine. #TahoeOnTrial

Roberto, former president of the Xinca Parliament, speaks about his experiences being criminalized and attacked for resisting the Tahoe mine. Roberto was kidnapped in 2013 alongside three other leaders of the Xinca Parliament while returning from a community consultation in Volcancito. One of the men kidnapped, Exaltación Marcos Ucelo, was murdered while Roberto and the other two eventually escaped.

Norwegian Fund Divests from Tahoe Resources, Canadian and U.S. Investors Urged to Follow Suit

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

(Ottawa/Guatemala) North American shareholders in Tahoe Resources should follow the Norway's Council on Ethics’s lead and divest say Canadian and U.S. organizations. They urge Canadian and U.S. investors to make use of a report published last week that recommends the exclusion of Tahoe Resources from the from the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) portfolio due to “unacceptable risk of the company contributing to serious human rights violations through its operation” at the Escobal silver mine in southeastern Guatemala.

After considerable investigation, including communications with Tahoe Resources and information gathered from diverse sources such as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala, the Nowegian Council determined that the project poses a high level of risk given insufficient consultation processes, considerable resistance to the mine, inadequate measures to avoid human and Indigenous rights abuses and militarization of the area. 

“With this report in hand, it should be a no brainer for U.S. and Canadian investors to drop their shares in this company whose operations represent a tremendous risk to the lives and wellbeing of thousands of residents in communities in San Rafael Las Flores and area,” remarks Jen Moore Latin America Program Coordinator at MiningWatch Canada. 

The Council did not believe Tahoe’s claims that the apparent calm around the Escobal mine is a sign of support for the mine. The report reads: “…the company's statement that the situation in and around SRLF is now more peaceful than in the months preceding the state of emergency [in May 2013] is probably correct. As the Council understands it, this is due to the militarization occasioned by the conflict.” The Council attributes militarization with breaking up organized resistance and a temporary stoppage of local consultation processes.

“Even before the military state of siege was imposed on municipalities, military presence and repressive tactics were ramped up, in part due to a so-called ‘development’ office in San Rafael Las Flores with backing from Tahoe and oversight from a military colonel. It is encouraging that the Norwegian Council on Ethics recognizes that what has been growing in the area is fear, not support for this project,” comments Ellen Moore from the Network for Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). 

Before the state of siege, communities in the area held fourteen referenda, in which tens of thousands of people in the six municipalities closest to the project voted against the Escobal mine given their concerns over current and potential environmental and social impacts. A pilot project in San Rafael Las Flores overseen by the National Security Commission and referred to as the “Inter-institutional Group on Mining Affairs” was initiated in March 2013. As well, since the siege, a permanent military presence has been established in the area.

The Council also found that Tahoe failed to take adequate steps to prevent further abuses after private security guards shot at peaceful protesters outside the mine gate on April 27, 2013. Two separate lawsuits against Tahoe’s then head of security and the company in connection with this incident are ongoing in Guatemala and Canada respectively. Overall, the Council finds that Tahoe's policies and training standards are not enough to guarantee that the company will not continue contributing to human rights violations. 

The Canadian Pension Plan most recently reported that as of March 31, 2014 it holds $49 million CAD worth of shares in Tahoe Resources. As of 2013, U.S. based TIAA-CREF, considered to be a socially responsible financial services company specializing in the needs of the non-profit and education sector, held some $5 million USD worth of shares.

Online letters can be sent calling on the CPPIB to divest here and to the TIAA-CREF here. A new map illustrates the relationship between company holdings and affected communities.

Contacts:
Jen Moore, MiningWatch Canada, jen(at)miningwatch.ca, (613) 569-3439
Ellen Moore, Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), ellen(at)nisgua.org, (510) 763-1403

See a backgrounder on Tahoe Resources for more information. 

Tahoe Resources’ former security manager to be tried in Guatemalan court

Source: Center for Environmental, Social and Legal Action (CALAS) - MiningWatch Canada - Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA)

(Guatemala City/Ottawa) On Wednesday, a Guatemalan judge decided that Tahoe’s former security manager, Alberto Rotondo, should stand trial for his role in a shooting attack on peaceful protesters in April of last year.

On April 27, 2013, Tahoe Resources’ private security opened fire on peaceful protesters outside the Escobal mine, the company’s only project, in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores in southeastern Guatemala. Rotondo, Tahoe’s then head of security and an ex-military officer from Peru, was arrested at Guatemala’s international airport and charged with allegedly having ordered the attack.

Alberto Rotondo to stand trial

Yesterday, the judge ruled that Rotondo should stand trial on charges of causing serious and minor bodily harm to four of the seven men injured in the attack, as well as for obstruction of justice. If convicted, Rotondo could face up to 28 years in prison. The evidentiary hearing is scheduled for February 3, 2015.

“This decision sets an important precedent to the extent that it will allow the Public Prosecutor and the victims to demonstrate the premeditated and aggressive way in which Rotondo orchestrated the attack, as well as the responsibility of Guatemalan authorities in its planning and execution,” explained Rafael Maldonado, Director of the Center for Environmental, Social and Legal Action (CALAS).

Tahoe Resources’ Escobal silver project is the subject of broad local opposition and ongoing legal processes in Guatemala and Canada. In June 2014, the seven victims of the attack filed a civil suit in British Columbia against the company for its role in the April 2013 violence. The first major hearing in this case is scheduled for April 2015 regarding Tahoe's argument that the case should be heard in Guatemala instead of Canada.

“What we want is justice. Even though we know that this is difficult to achieve in Guatemala, we are confident that we will have an opportunity to demonstrate that Mr. Rotondo and the company are guilty,” stated Artemio Castillo, a victim of the attack and a co-plaintiff in both cases.

Foreshadowing the obstacles ahead toward achieving justice in Guatemala, the judge granted Rotondo house arrest, rejecting two separate instances in which the Public Prosecutor accused the ex Tahoe employee with being in contempt of court.

Maldonado commented on this unexpected decision saying, “Despite the favorable decision to send Rotondo to trial, the judge demonstrated partiality in this case by rejecting multiple requests from the victims and the Public Prosecutor to keep Rotondo in detention.”

Tahoe Resources Inc. is a silver exploration and development company that lists on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, with offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Reno, Nevada, USA. Goldcorp, a mining company with a lengthy history of human rights abuses at its Marlin Mine in northeastern Guatemala, holds 40% of Tahoe Resources shares and three seats on its board of directors.

For more information:
* Rafael Maldonado, Centre for Environmental and Social Legal Action (CALAS), rafamaldonado(at)calas.org.gt, (502) 5307-4250
* Jen Moore, MiningWatch Canada, jen(at)miningwatch.ca, (613) 569-3439
* Ellen Moore, Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), ellen(at)nisgua.org, (502) 3027-7134

Photo credit to: Vea Canal/Panorama News

For more background, please visit tahoeontrial.net 

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

Human rights defenders from Barillas convicted despite irregularities in proceedings

An excerpt from a press release issued by the Guatemalan Unit for the 

Protection of Human Rights Defenders (UDEFEGUA):

"On Thursday, November 13, the trial court judge in Villa Nueva sent Oscar Morales, a leader in the resistance movement in San Rafael las Flores, to trial for allegedly threatening the manager of the mining company, Minera San Rafael, S.A., subsidiary of Canadian company Tahoe Resources. During the evidentiary hearing, the judge revealed his partiality when he indicted the human rights defender without a proper investigation. The judge is now sending the case to trial without a clear investigation and despite the fact that the Public Prosecutor's office has stated that they do not have enough evidence to accuse the defendant. In sending the case to trial, it has become clear that the judge is prioritizing private interests that are represented by lawyers of the third-party plaintiff. The trial against Oscar Morales opens on December 29.

On November 14, Saúl Aurelio Méndez and Rogelio Velásquez, water rights defenders from Barillas, Huehuetenango, were convicted by a Sentencing Tribunal in Huehuetenango for conspiracy to commit murder. The two human rights defenders were illegally detained on May 2, 2012 during a state of siege imposed by the government of Guatemala. After a lengthy process, they were released and declared innocent. However, while en-route with their lawyer for the final hearing on this case, they were arrested by the police outside the Guatemala City court house for the murder and femicide of two people who were lynched in Barillas in 2010.

Both the legal process itself and the verdict against the human rights defenders were plagued with irregularities. The verdict was reached without proving the individual responsibility of the accused, violating one of the core guarantees of the judicial system that states that individuals cannot be brought to trial for the actions of others. Both cases demonstrate how private interests trump justice, leading to the political persecution of social leaders and human rights defenders."

Link to original press release in Spanish can be found here.

Other statements from Guatemala:

"They accuse me of something I did not commit. My intention has always been to defend the rights of nature." (Saúl Aurelio Méndez Muñoz)

"I am someone of few material resources. I have fought for the rights of Mother Nature and for defending natural resources, I am now in prison." (Antonio Rogelio Velásquez)

"Together with their communities, [Saúl and Rogelio] expressed their opposition to the construction of the hydroelectric Hidro Santa Cruz. This struggle has meant repression and criminalization for them, their families and their communities by the Guatemalan state who, far from working for the wellbeing of the citizens of the country, protect the interests of transnational companies such as Ecoener Hidralia and its extractive projects in northern Huehuetenango. All of this threatens the lives of communities and the natural resources of the Guatemalan people." (Statement from the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango)

"It is clear that the case of Rogelio and Saúl corresponds to a strategy of terror that seeks to weaken community resistance and paralyze social movements in defense of territory. This [goal] wasn't achieved because those of us who defend life and territory remain united.” (Statement from the Departmental Assembly of Huehuetenango)

Link to original statements in Spanish can be found here.

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.

Lawsuit Against Tahoe Resources a Wake Up Call for Investors and Canadians

Source:  MiningWatch Canada - Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) - Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network  

June 18, 2014

(Ottawa/Tatamagouche/Guatemala City) A civil lawsuit filed today in Vancouver against Tahoe Resources for negligence and battery in connection with a shooting at the company’s silver project in Guatemala sends a strong message to investors and all Canadians.

Victims and legal team in Guatemala. Photo: Giles Clarke

Seven victims of a shooting allegedly ordered by Tahoe Resources’ former head of security, Alberto Rotondo, are suing the company for punitive damages. Rotondo is an ex-naval officer from Peru who was indicted in Guatemala on charges related to this attack in May 2013. The Canadian lawsuit represents one of numerous abuses in connection with Tahoe's only asset, which was rushed into production in January 2014 despite strong community opposition.

Violence and repression has marked the development of Tahoe Resources’ Escobal silver project in southeast Guatemala.

“Repression against community leaders involved in organizing local referenda and peaceful protests in opposition to Tahoe’s mine dates back to 2011. Some 90 individuals have faced spurious legal persecution and, in May 2013, a military state of siege was declared in the area surrounding the mine creating a climate of fear and intimidation in order to quash local opposition,” observes Ellen Moore for the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA).

Tens of thousands have voted against mining in San Rafael Las Flores, where Tahoe currently operates, and in the immediately surrounding municipalities where the company hopes to carry out further exploration.

The widespread opposition is motivated by concerns over the current and future impacts of Tahoe’s operations on local water supplies, as well as community health and agricultural activities. Tahoe’s mine is only two kilometres from the central park in San Rafael Las Flores and mere metres from homes and livestock. 

“This is a company with a troubled history in Guatemala, which should be a cause of concern to Canadians and all investors,” remarks Jackie McVicar from the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network. “Tahoe Resources is a spin-off company from Vancouver-based Goldcorp, whose Marlin mine in Guatemala’s northwestern highlands has been a source of strife and ongoing Indigenous and human rights violations during the last decade.”

Goldcorp holds 40% of the shares in Tahoe Resources and six of the company’s eight Directors have past or current ties to the gold mining mammoth. Most Canadians are also invested in Tahoe Resources through the Canada Pension Plan, which reported holding CAD $49 million in shares as of March 31, 2014. 

Notably, when Guatemalans sued another Canadian mining company, HudBay Minerals, the company ended up selling off its Fénix nickel project to a Russian firm at a quarter of the price for which it had purchased it. The three lawsuits for the shooting murder of a land rights activist, gang rape of 11 Maya Q’eqchi’ women and shooting paralysis of a young man are ongoing in Ontario courts.

“The abuses for which Tahoe is being sued are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of rampant violations in connection with Canadian mining operations in Guatemala and across the region,” comments Jen Moore for MiningWatch Canada. “This lawsuit should alert Canadians to a much deeper problem with this industry that Canadian authorities are unconditionally promoting abroad.”

Contacts:

Ellen Moore, Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), (011) 502 4141 1187, ellen(at)nisgua.org 
Jackie McVicar, Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network, (902) 324-2584 btsguatemala(at)gmail.com
Jen Moore, MiningWatch Canada, (613) 569-3439, jen(at)miningwatch.ca 


BACKGROUND

Tahoe Resources’ Escobal silver project in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores, southeastern Guatemala, is the subject of local opposition and ongoing legal processes against the validity of the exploitation licence. Community leaders have faced repression, criminalization and violence for their efforts to promote community consultation processes. Despite the conflict – or perhaps because of it – Tahoe has rushed to put the mine into operation even before establishing reliable mineral reserves. It reportedly brought its underground mine into operation in January 2014.

Tahoe lacks a social licence for the mine.

• To date, fourteen referenda have been held in which tens of thousands of people in the six municipalities closest to the project have voted against the Escobal mine given their concerns over current and potential environmental and social impacts.

The Escobal project has led to violence and criminalization.

• The company’s former security manager, an ex-military officer from Peru, Alberto Rotondo, is currently under arrest awaiting trial for allegedly ordering security guards to fire at protesters outside the mine on April 27, 2013. Seven victims of this attack are now bringing a civil lawsuit in British Columbia against Tahoe Resources for negligence and battery in connection with this incident.

• The Guatemalan government imposed a military state of emergency for a month after the shooting on April 27, 2013 in municipalities where people overwhelmingly voted against mining.

• In June 2012, Tahoe sued the Guatemalan government, demanding that it do more to protect the mine. A Guatemalan court dismissed the lawsuit in February 2013, mere months before the military siege was imposed.

• Since September 2012, some 90 people have been slapped with unfounded criminal charges and have had to endure legal processes causing them distress and hardship. Several spent months in jail before being cleared of all charges.

Guatemalan regulators failed to address residents’ complaints prior to granting Tahoe’s exploitation licence, putting the licence in doubt.

• The Guatemalan Ministry of Energy and Mines dismissed some 250 formal community complaints without a proper hearing shortly before granting Tahoe's exploitation licence on April 3, 2013.

• In July 2013, the plaintiffs appealed the dismissal of a complaint and won, putting the validity of the licence in doubt. A final decision from Guatemala's Constitutional Court is expected soon.

Given its close relationship to Goldcorp, Tahoe knows better than to proceed without community consent and when its project has already given rise to violence and repression.

• Goldcorp holds 40% of Tahoe's shares.

• Six of eight of Tahoe’s Directors are current or former Goldcorp executives, including Tahoe founder and CEO, Kevin McArthur, who was CEO of Glamis Gold and Goldcorp until 2008.

• Goldcorp’s Marlin mine in Guatemala was also put into operation in the midst of widespread opposition and repression. As a result, it has been the subject of repeat international human rights declarations calling for suspension of the mine and raising concern over impacts on community health, the environment and right to self-determination of neighbouring Maya Indigenous communities.

• The Inter American Commission on Human Rights recently admitted a case against Indigenous and human rights violations at the Marlin mine.

Tahoe Resources Inc. is a silver exploration and development company that lists on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, with offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Reno, Nevada, USA. Escobal is its only project.

Organizaciones internacionales exigen justicia ante ataque armado en contra de líderes comunitarios opuestos a la mina Escobal de Tahoe Resources

Merilyn Topacio Reynoso Pacheco, 1997 -2014 (Foto: Danilo Zuleta)

Han pasado dos semanas desde el ataque mortal contra Alex y Topacio Reynoso, lideres comunitarios de Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, quienes estuvieron oponiéndose activamente a la mina El Escobal de Tahoe Resources en el sureste de Guatemala. Murió Topacio, quien tenía solo 16 años, y fue gravemente herido su papa, quien sigue bajo cuidado intensivo en el hospital. NISGUA está en solidaridad con la familia Reynoso y los miles de familias más pidiendo el derecho a la libre determinación, quienes han sufrido una intensificación de violencia, represión y criminalización desde la llegada de la empresa minera Tahoe Resources, de capital estadounidense y canadiense. 

 

Miles de familiares, amigos y vecinos honraron a Topacio, 15 de abril en Mataquescuintla.
(Foto: latribunadelpatojo)

Estudiantes y amigos hicieron banderas para llevar durante la procesión funeraria. (Foto: latribunadelpatojo)

Hoy NISGUA, junta con 35 organizaciones internacionales más, entregó una carta abierta a las autoridades Guatemaltecas denunciando el ataque y pidiendo justicia. Versión en ingles aquí.

Dra. Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey

Fiscal General de la República de Guatemala

1 de mayo del 2014

Re: Ataque armado en contra de líderes comunitarios opuestos al proyecto minero de Tahoe Resources

Estimada Doctora Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey,

Las organizaciones abajo firmantes estamos muy preocupados ante las noticias del ataque del 13 de abril en contra de Edwin Alexander Reynoso y su hija de 16 años, Merilyn Topacio Reynoso Pacheco. Rechazamos este ataque violento y exigimos que el Ministerio Publico realice una investigación completa e imparcial para asegurar que los responsables sean juzgados. También pedimos que la investigación sea trasladado de la Fiscalía Distrital de Jalapa a la Fiscalía de Delitos Contra Defensores de Derechos Humanos.

Merilyn Topacio Reynoso fue asesinada en el ataque, y Alex Reynoso sigue bajo cuidado intensivo en el hospital después de sufrir cuatro heridas de bala en el pecho y el estómago. Padre e hija son activistas de la Resistencia Pacifica en Defensa de los Recursos Naturales de Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, lo cual se ha organizado en contra de la mina Escobal de Tahoe Resources, ubicada en San Rafael las Flores. Goldcorp mantiene 40% de las acciones de Tahoe Resources, la cual opera el proyecto Escobal a nivel local mediante su filial, Minera San Rafael.

La familia Reynoso ha estado al frente de la lucha regional por la defensa del derecho al consentimiento previo, libre e informado, la auto-determinación, y los derechos humanos, que se organizó ante la llegada de Tahoe Resources a los departamentos sureste de Jalapa y Santa Rosa en 2010. Topacio fue una lideresa del movimiento juvenil de Mataquescuintla en contra de la minería y una defensora de derechos humanos muy conocida y activa. Su padre, Alex Reynoso, es un líder comunitario muy reconocido por su trabajo en la consulta comunitaria y como representante de la Resistencia Pacifica en Defensa de los Recursos Naturales de Mataquescuintla.

En Noviembre 2012, la municipalidad de Mataquescuintla celebró la primera consulta municipal en el departamento de Jalapa, sumándose a otras tres municipalidades en Santa Rosa que han expresado un rotundo “no” a la minería en su territorio. En diciembre del 2013, la Corte de Constitucionalidad dictó en favor de la consulta en Mataquescuintla, reconociendo la responsabilidad de las autoridades municipales en convocar esas consultas y tomar decisiones según sus resultados, afirmando su valor como "medios adecuados para que los pueblos puedan ejercer su derecho a dar su opinión y ser consultados sobre temas de interés." Hasta la fecha, se han realizado 14 consultas comunitarias en los municipios, las ciudades y las aldeas alrededores del proyecto.

A seis kilómetros del proyecto Escobal, los residentes de Mataquescuintla siguen opuestos al proyecto de Tahoe. Pero, en vez de respeto para su derecho a la auto-determinación y a decir no a este proyecto, han sufridas varias actas de violencia, intimidación y represión:

• Desde 2011, han sido acusados, sin fundamento legal, más de 100 personas involucradas en la resistencia a la mina.
• Entre marzo y mayo del 2013, en dos ocasiones, la policía desalojó violentamente el campamento pacifico, legítimo y legal radicado fuera de la mina
• En abril del 2013, las fuerzas de seguridad privada de Tahoe atacaron seis manifestantes pacificas fuera de la mina; uno fue gravemente herido. El ex jefe de seguridad de Tahoe Resources, Alberto Rotondo, sigue bajo arresto domiciliario mientras se espere la apertura del juicio en su contra, por supuestamente haber ordenado el ataque, y por lesiones y la obstrucción de justicia.
• En mayo 2013, Presidente Otto Pérez Molina declaró un estado de sitio en cuatro municipalidades alrededor del proyecto de Tahoe, inclusive en Mataquescuintla.

Estamos muy preocupados por la violencia y la persecución en contra de los defensores de derechos humanos y líderes comunitarios quienes están opuestos a la mina de Tahoe. Está sumamente importante que el crimen que terminó en el asesinato de Topacio Reynoso y las lesiones de que ahora sufre Alex Reynoso no sigue en la impunidad. Exigimos una investigación completa e imparcial por la Fiscalía de Delitos Contra Defensores de Derechos Humanos para asegurar que haya justicia, y para prevenir más violencia en la región. También pedimos que la investigación sea trasladado de la Fiscalía Distrital de Jalapa a la Fiscalía de Delitos Contra Defensores de Derechos Humanos. Tenemos entendido que Alex Reynoso está recibiendo protección policíaca mientras se recupere del ataque. Exigimos que el Ministro de Gobernación siga trabajando en conjunto con el Procurador de Derechos Humanos para asegurar la seguridad de Alex Reynoso y de su familia.

Muchas de nuestras organizaciones han tenido enlaces y/o compromisos profundos por varios años con los grupos opuestos a la mina de Tahoe Resources, y recientemente, muchas de ellas han visitado a las comunidades afectadas para reunirse con líderes locales y defensores de derechos humanos. Reconocemos que este tipo de violencia, la cual ocurre con preocupante frecuencia en y alrededor de las minas que hay en Guatemala, es también un grave problema global. Muchas de las organizaciones abajo firmantes están actualmente participando en una campaña llamada “Abierta para la Justicia,” para exigir legislación que garantice el acceso a la justicia en las cortes canadienses para las personas afectados por las operaciones mineras internacionales de las empresas Canadienses.

Le agradecemos su atención a esta solicitud y esperamos su apreciada respuesta.

Organizaciones firmantes:

Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network (ARSN) – Canada

Café Justicia Ottawa Education in Action – Canadá

Center for Alternative Mining Development Policy, La Crosse, Wisconsin - USA

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) - USA

The Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America  - USA

Comité pour les droits humains en Amérique latine (CDHAL) – Québec 

Conference of Major Superiors of Men – USA

Denver Justice & Peace Committee - USA

Environmental Network for Central America (ENCA) – United Kingdom

Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC) – USA

Guatemala Partnership Committee, Congregational Church of Needham - USA

Guatemala Solidarity Network – United Kingdom

Guatemalan Working Group of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario - Canada

Heart of the Sky Fair Trade - USA

Inter Pares – Canada

Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Office of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul - Kingston, Ontario - Canada

KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives - Canada

Kickapoo Guatemala Accompaniment Project - USA

La Plataforma de Solidaridad con Chiapas y Guatemala de Madrid - Spain

Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) – Canada

Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network – Canada

Mining Injustice Solidarity Network, Toronto, Ontario – Canada

Mining Justice Action Committee, Victoria, British Columbia – Canada

Mining Justice Alliance, Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories – Canada

MiningWatch Canada

Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) - USA

New Hampshire-Vermont Guatemala Accompaniment Project (NH-VT G.A.P.) - USA

Oxfam America

Partners for Arlington and Guatemala, Arlington, VA - USA

The Peace and Justice Committee of First Churches, Northampton, MA - USA

Peace Watch Switzerland (PWS)

Projet Accompagnement Québec-Guatemala – Québec

SalvAide – Canada

Social Justice Connection – Québec

SOAW – LA - USA

SOA Watch - USA

St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America - USA

University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) Guatemala Research Group – Canada

cc:

Erick Archila Dehesa

Ministro del Ministerio de Energía y Minas

Ing. Fernando Castellanos

Director General de la Minería, Ministerio de Energía y Minas

Mauricio López Bonilla

Ministerio de Gobernación

Michelle Melisa Martínez Kelly

Ministra del Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales

Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Guatemala

Deputy Political-Economic Counselor, William Ayala

Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Guatemala

Oficial de Asuntos Políticos, Norman Galimba 

Embajada de Canadá en Guatemala

Embajador Stuart Savage

Embajada de Canadá en Guatemala

Oficial de Asuntos Políticos Colleen Pigeon