On Wed. Dec 9th hear first hand testimonials of the devastating impacts of a Canadian operated mine in Guatemala, GoldCorp's Marlin Mine.
Two Indigenous Mayan Mam women, Carmen Francisca Mejía Aguilar and Maudilia López Cardona from San Miguel Ixtahuacán, San Marcos, Guatemala have come to Ottawa to speak out against the human rights violations perpetrated by Canadian gold mining company, Goldcorp, and about their struggles for dignity, respect and the defence of land upon which their lives depend.
Where: University of Ottawa, Desmarais Bldg Room 1110
When: Wed. Dec 9th 2009 @ 6:30pm
Background Information:
The municipalities of San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipakapa in western Guatemala are home to approximately fifty thousand people, most of whom are Mayan Mam and Mayan Sipakakan peasant farmers. For generations, they have depended upon subsistence farming to survive. However, ever since a Canadian company began construction of an open
pit silver-gold mine in 2006, this area has become plagued by a pervasive atmosphere of fear, intimidation, and simmering hostilities, as well as by chronic illnesses, despair, and urgent concerns over clean water supplies. Local people testify that:
* their water wells and small rivers were not dry before Goldcorp's mine arrived;
* their homes did not crack and crumble before the mine began using massive amounts of explosives (above ground and in the labyrinth of tunnels below);
* their animals now die of unknown causes after drinking from the local streams and rivers;
* people's hair did not fall out before the mine;
* people did not get rashes all over the bodies before the mine was built
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www.rightsaction.org/mining.htm
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On December 9th, women from communities affected by Goldcorp's mine are speaking out publicly about the situation they face. They hope to build a strong base of solidarity here on Turtle Island. Join us!
Event supporters include: OPIRG-GRIPO, Miningwatch Canada, Amnesty International (Canada), Breaking the Silence Network, Rights Action, the Center for International Environmental Law, Public Service Alliance Canada and Territorio Libre.
For more information, contact:
Tanya Roberts-Davis
Email: tanya_rd@riseup.net Ph: (613) 293-8712
Or Daniel Cayley-Daoust
E-mail: daniel.cayleydaoust@gmail.com