June 7, 2014, Guatemala–Early this morning, at least a dozen heavily armed CGN guards drove illegally into and were found occupying this very Community Center, re-built here in the center of the former Lote 8 community that was violently attacked and burned to the ground in January 2007, by CGN/ Hudbay Minerals security guards, Guatemalan police and soldiers. On January 17, 2007, eleven Lote 8 women were gang-raped by Hudbay/CGN security guards, soldiers and police, and over 100 homes were burned and destroyed.
The Lote 8 community had been planning yet another meeting today to discuss the on-going land dispute with the CGN mining company. Ever since the Canadian mining giant INCO illegally acquired these lands in the 1960s, the Mayan Q’eqchi’ people have suffered repeated violent, illegal evictions, killings, shootings, rapes.
When they came to the Community Center this morning, they found it occupied. The people of Lote 8 are alerting the national and international community to the threat of possible repression and eviction they again face.
A History of Mining, Repression and Impunity
Last week, Guatemalan leader General Otto Perez Molina arrived in El Estor to “inaugurate” the mining operation of CGN, despite the 40 year history of repression, violent forced evictions, racism and impunity carried out by mainly Canadian nickel mining companies (INCO, Skye Resources, Hudbay Minerals).
This renewed mining operation is inaugurated despite the impunity and lack of justice in Guatemala and Canada for 40 years of illegally evictions and other crimes; violent evictions and repression that have been met by the on-going by silence of the governments of Guatemala and Canada:
- CGN and Hudbay Minerals are defendants in the Hudbay Lawsuits (www.chocversushudbay.com) in Canada for the assassination of Adolfo Ich, the shooting-paralyzing of German Chub (both on September 27, 2009), and the 2007 gang-rapes of the Lote 8 women;
- Mynor Padilla, former head of security of CGN/Hudbay Minerals is in jail, pending trial for the assassination of Adolfo Ich, the shooting-paralyzing of German Chub, and other victims (all on September 27, 2009);
- There are further legal proceedings in Guatemala related to the march 2012 murder of three university students from the Del Valle Univeristy, on CGN property in El Estor, during an exchange programme with CGN.