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3 June 2010 | Interviews | Extractive industries
Official Impunity
Guatemalan President refuses to respect IACHR´s recommendation regarding Marlin mine
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Alvaro Colom´s administration decided this week not to follow the recommendations made by the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that decided on May 20th to establish a precautionary measure for the population of Sipacapa and San Miguel Ixtahuacan, who are affected by the operations of Marlin mine.
The government considered that the request to suspend operations was not well grounded and was based on out-of-date reports. However, recent reports were submitted that highlighted the pollution caused by Marlin mine on the environment and the local population.
Real World Radio interviewed Oscar Galvez, member of CEIBA-Friends of the Earth Guatemala, who participated in a protest outside the Presidential Building where local communities handed a letter to Colom to urge him to respect what was established by the IACHR.
According to Galvez, over 300 people participated in the protest, which will be the first of a series of measures adopted to make the Guatemalan government respect the requests by the IACHR.
Photo: Presidencia de Guatemala/Luis Echeverría
