Radio Mundo Real

This week, an International Mission is visiting several areas of Guatemala to verify violations to human, environmental and economic rights caused by mining transnational corporations.

This Mission was organized by CEIBA, Friends of the Earth Guatemala, and is made up by members of this organization and others, like Amnesty International.

The delegates will be working from September 20th to 26th, in times where the Central American region remains alert due to the situation of repression Honduras is facing after the return of lawful President José Manuel Zelaya.

One of the communities visited by the Mission is Colotenango municipality, from the department of Huehuetenango. 26 out of 32 municipalities of this department have already stated their rejection to mining in public consultations.

Another community is located in San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipacapa municipalities, from San Marcos department, where Mining Company Montana SA, subsidiary of Goldcorp, has installed the Marlin Project.

Another one is located in San Juan Sacatepequez municipality, where there are plans to install a cement company, owned by one of Guatemala´s richest families, the Novellas.

Oscar Alexis Gálvez, from CEIBA, shared with us the results of the first days of the Mission, together with Esteban Beltrán, from Amnesty International, Karin Nansen, from Friends of the Earth, and Eduardo Vilaurruzaga, who is participating in the mission on behalf of the Basque Country.

Moreover, Oscar told us about the mining companies which are damaging the communities, and stated that the goal of the Mission is to make possible that the voices of the victims who are criminalized in Guatemala can be heard at international level.

Photo: http://www.catapa.be