Blog Entry

3900 People Demand Pan American Silver Stop Fueling Violence in Guatemala

Viviana Herrera

Latin America Program Coordinator

Dear Pan American Silver,

When you purchased the Escobal mine in 2019, you knew about the broad opposition to the project and that there had been violent repression against those involved in the fight. Now, your refusal to halt local programs in Xinka communities is fomenting tension and division. These activities violate the court-ordered suspension of the mine, undermine the possibility of a good-faith consultation with the Xinka, and put Xinka land defenders at risk.

Enough! Today, we deliver a petition signed by Indigenous leaders such as Kukpi7 Judy Wilson and Winona LaDuke, former UN Special Rapporteurs Michel Forst and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, and influential authors Noam Chomsky and Naomi Klein, along with over 3900 others, to demand that you respect the Xinka people’s right to be freely consulted without violence and threats, and immediately cease interference in Xinka communities.

See the signatures here.

Petition to Pan American Silver