For the original press release in Spanish, click here.
The Xinka People make it known to the public:
That the “Escobal” mining project, now owned by the entity Pan American Silver Guatemala, has been suspended since June 22, 2017, when the Supreme Court of Justice issued the provisional AMPARO [likened to an injunction] 1076-2017, due to a lack of consultation with the Xinka People.
On July 5, 2017, the mining company requested the Supreme Court’s authorization to carry out “alleged environmental mitigation measures” [at the mine] at a time when operations were suspended — a request that was denied by the Court due to the high level of conflict caused by the project in the region.
On September 3, 2018, the Constitutional Court issued a ruling on the appeal 4785-2017, ordering the suspension of the “Escobal” mining project until we have been consulted about the project’s approval.
On October 10 of that same year, the Constitutional Court reiterated to the mining company that it is not allowed to carry out any actions that could be perceived by the other parties as a resumption of its activities “without the fulfillment of the court order mandating a consultation process,” including carrying out any environmental mitigation measures.
In spite of these rulings, in a clear provocation of the Xinka People and in open violation of the court order, the mining entity Pan American SIlver Guatemala has been carrying out different activities since October 31st of this year, such as hiring personnel and trucking in different materials to the “Escobal mine,” including in the pre-dawn hours.
Therefore, we have come to the Offices of the Attorney General and the National Civil Police to denounce Pan American Silver Guatemala’s blatant violation of a court order, so that these authorities can carry out the necessary due diligence within their mandate and assign any appropriate criminal responsibility to the company.
Guatemala
December 29, 2020.
Altepet Xinka Wiriki’
The Voice of the Xinka Nation of Guatemala
