(Guatemala/Ottawa/Washington, DC) Late Monday night, the Guatemalan Constitutional Court ruled that [US-Canadian owned] Tahoe Resources’ Escobal mine will remain suspended while the Ministry of Energy and Mines consults with the Xinka indigenous population in four municipalities, including San Rafael Las Flores, where the mine is located. This decision reaffirms a lower court decision from July 2017 to halt work at Escobal and the neighbouring Juan Bosco exploration licence over discrimination and failure to consult with Xinka people. The decision cannot be appealed.

Guest blog by Ellen Moore, EARTHWORKS

Excellent piece in The Narwhal by James Wilt, August 27, 2018 quoting Ugo Lapointe – read the whole article here.

Excerpt:

Imperial Metals, the owner of the Mount Polley and Red Chris copper-gold mines in British Columbia, is “totally on the brink” of bankruptcy according to a mining accounting expert.

On Tuesday, members of the Peaceful Resistance of Santa Rosa, Jalapa and Jutiapa together with the Xinka People’s Parliament of Guatemala delivered the following letter to the attention of Tahoe Resources' new CEO, James Voorhees, and Executive Chair, Kevin McArthur. They call for an end to the environmental harms, community division, militarization and repression that the project has brought into their lives, and demand that Tahoe Resources permanently close the mine.

Over sixty international organizations wrote the Guatemalan Attorney General this week expressing deep sadness and concern following the brutal murder of Ángel Estuardo Quevedo on July 12, 2018, an active a member of the Peaceful Resistance movement of Santa Rosa, Jalapa and Jutiapa against Tahoe Resources' Escobal project in southeastern Guatemala. 

August 1, 2018

Dear Attorney General María Consuelo Porras Argueta:

For mining, oil, gas, forestry, fishing, and any other industrial projects.

Before 4pm on Monday (July 30), take 3 minutes to submit your comments online.

Important coverage of this problem published by The Narwhal on July 16, 2018, quoting Ugo Lapointe. Read the whole article here.

An excerpt:

Companies pay Canada a tiny fraction of what they pay other countries to extract gold

James Wilt 

Here's a small selection of highlights from the past few months!

MiningWatch Releases Video and Critique of the Mine’s Grievance Mechanism