Acción Urgente: Demanda que Empresa Minera Estadounidense Suspenda sus Operaciones Ilegales en la Mina El Tambor

Firma la petición para demandar que la empresa minera KCA suspenda sus operaciones ilegales en Guatemala:

(Texto para la petición Change.org):

La empresa minera estadounidense Kappes, Cassidy & Associates (KCA) y su subsidiaria guatemalteca han insistido en ir adelante con el proyecto minero El Tambor pese a la oposición fuerte y sin consultar con los vecinos sobre el proyecto como requiere la ley guatemalteca e internacional.

Ahora, el 15 de julio, falló una corte guatemalteca a favor de los residentes ordenando la suspensión de construcción de parte de KCA en la mina de oro El Tambor hasta que se realice una consulta de vecinos y el proyecto sea aprobado por los residentes. La corte ordenó que el municipio donde se ubica la mina asegure que EXMINGUA, la filial de KCA, cumpla con la orden dentro de 15 días.

Esta es una oportunidad importante para apoyar los derechos de la comunidad por encima de los intereses de corporaciones. Es bien probable que EXMINGUA apele la sentencia. Por favor firme nuestra petición ahora para instar que KCA simple y sencillamente cumpla con este fallo.

One Year After Violent Eviction, La Puya Under Threat Again

Members of La Puya commemorate the May 23, 2014 eviction

On May 23, members of La Puya – a peaceful resistance movement to the El Tambor gold mine owned by US company Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA) – joined together to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the day that police violently broke up the blockade that the movement had maintained for over two years. Last year’s violent removal of protesters resulted in at least 27 injuries and the entry of mining equipment into the site; however, community members have maintained a presence at the mine and continue to stand in opposition to the project.

As part of the commemoration event, community members highlighted four important points:

1. Members of La Puya call for an investigation into the serious human rights violations committed by police on the 23 of May 2014, and demand that criminal charges be filed against those deemed responsible for these abuses.
2. Community members want to raise awareness about the fact that the mining company EXMINGUA (KCA’s subsidiary in Guatemala) operates in San Pedro Ayampuc without the required municipal construction license.
3. Community members have again requested the renewal of dialogue with the government at the highest level, in order to jointly find an intelligent solution to the environmental issues facing residents.
4. Members of La Puya ask that the media does not spread false rumors or misinform the public.

Take Action: Tell Nevada-based Companies to Respect Human Rights Abroad

Event and Action with Miriam Pixtún Monroy and Teresa Muñoz
Thursday, November 13, 12:30 – 1:00 PM
201 W Liberty St., Reno

At our public event in Reno, we will hear from Miriam Pixtún Monroy, a Maya Kaqchikel woman from San José Nacahuil, San Pedro Ayampuc in Guatemala and Teresa Muñoz, an anti-mining activist from Jalapa, Guatemala.

We will also present a letter to the Nevada Mining Association alerting them to human rights abuses in Guatemala at mines owned by Kappes, Cassiday & Associates. We will demand that the Nevada Mining Association take action on this member company to expel Kappes, Cassiday & Associates from the Association as long as these abuses continue. Furthermore, we will urge the Association to require its members to uphold the highest human rights standards, and to deny any future membership to companies that violate human rights, like Nevada-based Tahoe Resources.

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For those who can’t be present in Reno, please join us by:

1. Sending an email to the Nevada Mining Association

2. Tweeting at the Nevada Mining Association during our delivery of the letter on Thursday, November 13th.

Sample tweet:  @nevadamining: Deny membership to any company that does not uphold #humanrights

3. Leaving a message for the president of the Nevada Mining Association on Thursday, November 13th (tomorrow!) at 775-829-2121.

Sample SHORT script: Hi, my name is ________ and I’m calling from [state]. I’m calling to let Mr. Tim Crowley know that I support residents of Nevada in calling for you to revoke the membership of Kappes, Cassiday & Associates. All US companies should uphold the highest human rights and environmental standards, and the Nevada Mining Association should deny membership to those who don’t, like KCA.

Sample LONG script:
Hi, my name is ________ and I’m calling from [state]. I’m calling to leave a message for Mr. Tim Crowley.

I’ve been shocked to hear that US companies, including members of the Nevada Mining Association, have continued their operations in Guatemala despite ongoing human rights violations.

If the Association wants to live up to its claim to be “a worldwide leader in mining and mining practices” it should deny membership to any company that does not uphold the highest human rights and environmental standards. I join with residents of Nevada in calling for you to revoke the membership of Kappes, Cassiday & Associates and deny any future membership to Tahoe Resources.

Guatemala News Update: April 7-11

 

Children from La Puya play at the movement’s two-year anniversary

New tension in La Puya

Members of the peaceful resistance at La Puya are facing threats and intimidation once more from mining company Kappes, Cassiday and Associates (KCA). Yesterday, a new KCA subcontractor, Transmac, attempted to bring heavy machinery into the mining site. Due to community pressure, Transmac eventually removed the mining equipment, but a strong police presence has grown and remains around San Jose del Golfo. For updates, check our blog and Facebook page.

Press release: La Puya in Nevada

June 26, 2013

Virginia City, NV— This Thursday, groups from Nevada and Guatemala will come together to highlight the damage that mining threatens to cause in both places.

The Comstock Residents Association, in partnership with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Great Basin Resource Watch, and the Guatemala Human Rights Commission, will host Alvaro Sandoval Palencia, a representative from “La Puya” Guatemala. Together they will picket the annual shareholder’s meetings of Comstock Mining Incorporated (CMI) to highlight unethical mining practices carried out by CMI and related companies.

La Puya is a group of community activists from San José del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc, Guatemala, who have peacefully blocked the road which passes through their communities leading to the site of the proposed “El Tambor” mine. El Tambor is owned by a subsidiary of the Nevada based company, Kappes, Cassiday and Associates.