Arr, Guatemala be facin' a hefty reckonin' fer tramplin' on the rights o' the Indigenous folk, aye!
2023-12-15
Avast ye scurvy scallywags, Guatemala be found guilty o' violatin' the rights o' the Indigenous folk! Aye, tis true, they did allow a monstrous nickel mine to be built on tribal land many moons ago, as decreed by an international court! Shiver me timbers!
Guatemala has been found guilty of violating Indigenous rights by allowing a large nickel mine on tribal land, according to a ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. This landmark verdict is a major victory for Indigenous land rights after a four-decade struggle and a bitter legal battle. The decision comes at a time when the importance of renewable energy and minerals like nickel is being emphasized at the United Nations climate summit. The court ruled that the Guatemalan government violated the rights of the Indigenous Q’eqchi’ people to property and consultation by permitting mining on their land. The government has been given six months to award a land title to the community and establish a development fund. The Guatemalan environmental department has not yet responded to the ruling. This ruling is seen as a significant development for a country that lacks laws recognizing indigenous land rights. The Fenix mine in eastern Guatemala was originally granted exploratory permits to Canadian company Hudbay almost two decades ago. After a community leader was shot dead by the mine’s head of security in 2009, the site was sold to a local subsidiary of Solway Investment Group. Leaked documents in 2022 suggested that the mine company tried to bribe locals to testify in favor of the mine, leading to sanctions against Solway officials from the U.S. Treasury. The ruling does not mention these bribery allegations. The Fenix mine is just one example of conflicts between international mines and Indigenous communities over clean energy minerals. Over half of existing and planned critical mineral mines are located on or near Indigenous land. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres has emphasized the need for the extraction of these minerals to be done in a sustainable and fair manner.