Under Siege: Peaceful Resistance to Canadian Mining and Militarization in Guatemala

The School of Political Studies of the University of Ottawa, Education in Action, MiningWatch, the Public Service Alliance of Canada Social Justice Fund, Amnesty International Canada, KAIROS, the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability, and Territorio Libre

present

Conference & Discussion

Under Siege: Peaceful Resistance to Canadian Mining and Militarization in Guatemala

Tuesday, November 10, 2015, 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

University of Ottawa, Vanier Hall (VNR), Room 5070

136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa

Guest speaker: Luis Solano, Guatemalan investigative journalist, economist and political analyst, author of the book "Oil, Mining and Power in Guatemala."

Public lecture in English and Spanish, with translation to English.  A short documentary film may be presented to facilitate the discussion.

For five years, communities affected by the Tahoe Resources' Escobal mine have been peacefully defending their lands and livelihoods.  Multiple plebiscites have been organized in which more than 55,000 people in seven municipalities have voted against the silver mine and the proposed expansion plans.  Despite their clear message, Tahoe Resources and the Guatemalan government, with tacit support from the Canadian Embassy, have been using repression, criminalization and militarization to try to silence the communities' resistance and to impose the company's project.  The result has been persistent violence and conflict, including one incident for which Tahoe Resources is now being sued in the British Columbia Supreme Court.  

Luis Solano will present the results of his recent investigation into the militarization of communities in southeastern Guatemala, followed by a discussion about the broader context in Guatemala and the region, and implications for solidarity in Canada.

This public lecture is free and open to the public. It is not required to register. For further details, please contact massicot@uottawa.ca   Parking is available on campus.

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Meet journalist and lecturer Luis Solano at an informal pot-luck dinner the prior evening.

Date:	Monday, November 9, 2015
Time:	6:00 pm
Location:	Amnesty International 312 Laurier Ave. East Ottawa, ON