MiningWatch Canada adds our signature to the following statement in solidarity with the communities of Las Naves, San Luis de Pambil, and Zapotal, and to the Ecumenical Commission on Human Rights (CEDHU) in Ecuador. Communities have faced repression, widespread criminalization, and the rapid shrinking of civic spaces for legitimate protest as they protect their lands from the proposed Canadian-owned Curipamba-El Domo mining projects.
To the communities of Las Naves, San Luis de Pambil, and Zapotal, and the CEDHU
We, the national and international organizations signing this statement, extend our solidarity and unconditional support to the rural communities of Las Naves, San Luis de Pambil, and Zapotal in the province of Bolívar, Ecuador, who are defending their territories, water, food sovereignty, and ways of life against the impacts of mining. We also extend our solidarity to the Ecumenical Commission on Human Rights (CEDHU) and to all organizations and individuals in Ecuador who provide legal and communications support to ensure the continued defense of human rights and nature.
In a context marked by regressive laws on rights, restrictions on participation, and limited access to justice, it is vital to recognize that without technical and legal support, communities’ capacity to respond is reduced and weakened. The work of documenting abuses, providing legal advice, and raising awareness about conflicts is not merely a service; it is a legitimate exercise in the defense of human rights, protected internationally by key international instruments:
- The UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1998), whose Article 1 recognizes the right of every individual and organization to “promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights,” protecting both those engaged in defense work and those who assist them.
- The reports and guidelines of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which emphasize the State’s obligation to protect environmental defenders and those who provide them with legal assistance, recognizing that the criminalization of this work constitutes a violation of the rights to freedom of expression and association.
- The Escazú Agreement, which guarantees communities’ right to access to justice in environmental matters and the State’s obligation to protect environmental defenders.
We reaffirm that the legal and political support provided by CEDHU and other networks is essential to balancing power dynamics and holding the State accountable. We recognize that this work must not become a target for stigmatization or persecution. Defending rights, providing legal counsel to victims, and demanding environmental safeguards are legitimate acts that deserve protection, not reprisals.
Rural communities are not only defending the land; they are preserving their water sources, their food, their ways of life, and their right to make decisions about their territories. The work of the organizations supporting them ensures that these rights are recognized in national and international case law. No extractive project can take precedence over life or over the legal mechanisms designed to protect it.
For all of the above reasons, we collectively sign this statement to:
- Affirm the legitimacy of rural communities’ defense of their rights and the support work carried out by social organizations.
- Declare our organizations’ support for the legitimate defense of rights in the context of the Las Naves protection action.
- Call on the Government of Ecuador to refrain from any acts of harassment against the communities and the organizations supporting this case.
- Call on the Constitutional Court of Ecuador to rule on the constitutional challenges to the General Regulations to the Organic Law on Social Transparency, which limit the exercise of rights and contradict international human rights standards.
We, the undersigned organizations, reaffirm that it is the obligation of States to defend human rights, the territory, and those who defend them. We will remain vigilant against any act that may limit or restrict the exercise of human rights and the rights of nature in Ecuador.
June 23, 2026
Signatories:
- Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS) - Argentina
- FOCO INPADE - Argentina
- Programa Somos Defensores - Colombia
- Asociación de Abogadas, Abogados, Jueces y Fiscales de América Latina y el Caribe (AJUDIFH) - 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
- CIVICUS, Alianza Global para la Participación Ciudadana - South Africa
- Fundación Regional de Asesoría en Derechos Humanos INREDH - Ecuador
- Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos "Todos los Derechos para Todas, Todos y Todes" (Red TDT) - Mexico
- Centro de Investigación y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos CIPRODEH - Honduras
- Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos -APRODEH - Peru
- Red Muqui - Peru
- Mujeres por el Cambio - Ecuador
- Liga Argentina por los Derechos Humanos - Argentina
- Centro de Políticas Públicas y Derechos Humanos (Perú EQUIDAD) - Peru
- Coordinadora de derechos humanos del Paraguay - Codehupy - Paraguay
- Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales - OLCA - Chile
- Coordinadora Ecuatoriana de Organizaciones para la Defensa de la Naturaleza y el Medio Ambiente CEDENMA - Ecuador
- FEPP - Ecuador
- FIAN Germany e.V - Germany
- WRM - World Rainforest Movement - Uruguay
- Fundación Libera Contra la Trata de Personas y la Esclavitud en Todas sus Formas - Chile
- CooperAcción- Perú - Peru
- ONG Sustentarse - Chile
- COMUNÁLISIS - Ecuador
- Proyecto sobre Organización, Desarrollo, Educación e Investigación (PODER) - Mexico
- Espacio de Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas (Espacio OSC) - Mexico
- Grupo Rescate Escolar (GRE) - Ecuador
- Colectivo Mujeres de Asfalto - Ecuador
- Miradas Negras - Ecuador
- Amandla medio - Ecuador
- Red de Mujeres Rurales y Diversas del Ecuador - TEJER - Ecuador
- Fundación de Asesoría en Derechos Humanos - INREDH - Ecuador
- Amazon Frontlines - United States
- Colectivo Ansur - Colombia
- Colectivo Acción Ecológica - Ecuador
- Quito Sin Minería - Ecuador
- Liga Mexicana por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos, Limeddh - Mexico
- Fundación DEFENSA NNA - Ecuador
- Front Line Defenders - Ireland
- Latin America Working Group LAWG - Washington, D.C
- Colectivo de Abogados y Abogadas José Alvear Restrepo - Colombia
- Comité Permanente por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos - Ecuador
- Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) - Argentina
- Observatorio para la Defensa de los Derechos y las Libertades (OTEANDO) - Spain
- Coordinación contra la precariedad, el empobrecimiento y la exclusión-BALADRE - Spain
- Erletxea - País Vasco
- Colectivo sobre Financiamiento e Inversiones Chinas, Derechos Humanos y Ambiente (CICDHA) - Regional
- Fundación Celid Plural - Ecuador
- Green Legal Impact Germany e.V.- Germany
- Climate Whistleblowers - France
- Alliance for Land, Indigenous and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED) - Global
- MiningWatch Canada - Canada