Inter-American Commission On Human Rights Gives In To Pressure From Guatemala

Intercontinental Cry: Inter-American Commission On Human Rights Gives In To Pressure From Guatemala

Damn it!

"To the astonishment of Mining Watch, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and many others, in late December, the IACHR announced that it had decided to reverse its 2010 recommendation to suspend any ongoing mining activity at Goldcorp's Marlin gold mine in San Marcos, Guatemala.

Both MiningWatch and CIEL expressed deep concern over the move, calling it 'a wake-up call for organizations and communities concerned about the defense of human rights in the Americas.' Given the IACHR's role as an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) charged with 'promoting the observance and the defense of human rights in the Americas' and the frequency with which the judicial body sides with Indigenous Peoples--it is certainly that.

It's the second time in less than a year the IACHR has given in to government demands, the NGOs observe. 'Several months ago, under threat that Brazil would revoke its funding, the IACHR backed down from its order to Brazil to halt construction of the controversial Belo Monte dam based on allegations that the right of local indigenous communities to free, prior and informed consent had not been respected.'"