Five prominent water defenders in El Salvador refuse to attend court hearing denouncing lack of judicial independence that poses a threat to their lives

The Santa Marta 5 faced a retrial on politically motivated charges stemming back to the civil war despite a unanimous verdict confirming their innocence in October 2024

Source
Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) – Central American Alliance on Mining (ACAFREMIN)

Analysis on Bill 63 in Quebec, An Act to Amend the Mining Act and other provisions

On May 28, Québec’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forests, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, tabled Bill 63, an Act to amend the Mining Act and other provisions. The Coalition Québec meilleure mine (QMM) carried out an exhaustive analysis of the bill. In this brief, we present our general comments and proposed amendments. A detailed article-by-article analysis of the bill is available in the French version of this brief, originally published in September 2024 and available online.  

Giant Evictions, Giant Profits

Kibali is Africa’s largest gold mine. It sits in the northeastern province of Haut-Uele in the Democratic Republic of Congo, next to a town called Durba. The presence of this “gold giant” has dramatically transformed this remote area of Congo, a country beleaguered by extreme poverty despite its wealth in natural resources, a situation in part caused by corruption, poor governance, and centuries of international exploitation and intervention. In a three-year investigation, PAX found overwhelming evidence that the expansion of the Kibali mine has entailed large-scale dispossession and violence affecting local communities.

“We already held a consultation. We said no." Communities denounce attempt by Ecuadorian government and Canadian mining company to conduct another controversial consultation

Submitted by Viviana on
Special Blog Type

Communities in Ecuador are denouncing an attempt to advance a consultation in the southern community of Escaleras on the issue of mining –  a consultation they say is being carried out with only a select handful of people and one that is not necessary, given communities have already voted against mining in three previous popular consultations. 

Experts say First Quantum’s Cobre Panama tailings dam is at very serious and imminent risk of failure due to internal erosion and a lack of proper monitoring

Panama - Experts from the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) revealed critical new findings regarding the Cobre Panama mine in a preliminary report dated December 9, 2024. The report concludes that the physical stability of the tailings management facility (TMF) dam is seriously compromised.

Source
UICN, Comité Panameño - Mesa Técnica de Trabajo para el cierre de minas en Panamá - Panamá Sin Minería

100+ Organizations Voice Deep Concern Over Violence to Advance Canada’s Atico Mining Project in Ecuador

Quito/Ottawa. Today 108 human rights and environmental organizations sent a letter to Atico Mining Corporation and the president of Ecuador urging a stop to the militarization, criminalization, and intimidation of the campesino, Montubio, and Indigenous communities of Palo Quemado (Sigchos, Cotopaxi) affected by the Canadian mining company as a result of their defense of water and life.

Source
MiningWatch Canada – Alliance for Human Rights of Ecuador

'Are they going to walk away?': Charges 10 years after B.C.'s Mount Polley disaster

Nono Shen and Darryl Greer, Canadian Press

Doug Watt won't forget the sound of a tailings pond collapsing at the Mount Polley Mine more than 10 years ago, sending millions of cubic metres of waste into waterways in the British Columbia Interior.

“I went outside, and you could hear the roar. It was like standing close to Niagara Falls,” the 74-year-old said in an interview Tuesday.

Source
Canadian Press

25 Years: A Bedrock for Mining Justice

MiningWatch Canada launched as a pan-Canadian initiative on April 1, 1999, on the heels of a decade that saw an unprecedented global expansion of mining brought about by economic globalization. Indigenous, environmental, social justice, and labour organizations came together with different backgrounds and experiences to respond to threats posed by irresponsible mining practices in Canada and around the world.

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