ministry of energy and mines (MEM) Archives - NISGUA

THE ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND THE DEFENSE OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES – ACODET- IN ITS THIRTEENTH REGULAR GENERAL ASSEMBLE, BEFORE THE PUBLIC OPINION

WE EXPRESS: We, the indigenous authorities, the ancestral cocodes authorities, women’s committees from the different indigenous communities of Ixcan, Cobán and Uspantan that compose the Association of Communities for Development and the Defense of Land and Natural Resources – ACODET- assembled today in the Q’eqchi Xalala indigenous community [...]

nisgua_admin2021-04-09T20:18:41+00:00April 9th, 2021|defensa del territorio, Defense of life and territory, Represa Xalalá|

Accompanier Perspectives: From Huehuetenango to Omaha, NE

The Maya Q’anjob’al Nation takes their defense of land and life in Huehuetenango transnational through community organizing in both Guatemala and the U.S. Caya Simonsen worked for 6 months as a NISGUA accompanier in Huehuetenango and shares her experience visiting the Maya Q’anjob’al Nation in both Guatemala and her hometown [...]

nisgua_admin2017-11-25T19:35:46+00:00November 21st, 2017|Accompanier Perspectives|

Lawsuit against Tahoe Resources cleared for trial in Canada, ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ with regard to risks

June 12, 2017 (Ottawa/Oakland/Tatamagouche/Toronto/Washington D.C.) An investor alert released today warns that historic developments in the lawsuit against Tahoe Resources in Canada is just one indicator of serious risks surrounding its Escobal silver mine in Guatemala. On Thursday, June 8th, the Supreme Court of Canada denied Tahoe Resources leave to [...]

nisgua_admin2020-01-01T21:25:34+00:00June 12th, 2017|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

Solidarity Update: February 2017

Photo: Holly Sheenan. News recap: Celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Sepur Zarco verdict; Civil suit continues against the Ministry of Energy and Mines, in an attempt to cancel Las Lajitas license; Hundreds respond to calls for urgent action on the murder of environmental defender Sebastián Alonso Juan; Protect sacred sites: Respond [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T19:06:48+00:00February 15th, 2017|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update, Trans-Territorial Organizing|

Solidarity Update: May 2016

News recap: Final arguments heard to determine whether CREOMPAZ case will be sent to trial; More than 99% of participants vote ‘NO’ to resource extraction in Quesada municipal consultation; Guatemala’s highest court upholds suspension order for El Tambor Mine; Announcing our 2016 Fall tour: “Guatemalan Women Healing Toward Justice.” This [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T19:06:52+00:00May 25th, 2016|Defense of life and territory, Justice and accountability, Solidarity Update, Trans-Territorial Organizing|

International organizations call on KCA to suspend operations

International Organizations Reiterate Support for Guatemalan Communities and Institutions Upholding Rule of Law and Respect for Human Rights in the case of the communities of La Puya and El Tambor Mine The undersigned human rights and environmental law organizations applaud recent efforts by Guatemalan courts to enforce domestic laws and international [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:44:44+00:00May 24th, 2016|Defense of life and territory, La Puya|

ACODET reaffirms peaceful resistance to the Xalalá Dam amid threats to environmental activists

Let us wake up! Let us wake up, humankind! We’re out of time. We must shake our conscience free of the rapacious capitalism, racism, and patriarchy that will only assure our own self-destruction. The Gualcarque River has called upon us, as have other seriously threatened rivers. We must answer [...]

nisgua_admin2017-12-29T17:44:52+00:00March 16th, 2016|Defense of life and territory, Xalalá Dam|

In wake of Guatemala corruption scandals, Tahoe Resources’ Escobal license faces legal challenge

On July 12, 2015, the Guatemalan Center for Environmental and Social Legal Action (CALAS) filed criminal charges against former Minister of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), Erick Archila, and former mines director at MEM, Fernando Castellanos. CALAS is accusing Archila and Castellanos of violating the Constitution and [...]

nisgua_admin2018-01-10T20:06:57+00:00July 13th, 2015|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

Victory for communities threatened by the Xalalá dam: Contract for feasibility studies canceled

NISGUA's 2014 Rivers for Life speaking tour featured ACODET, an association made up of more than 50 communities whose livelihoods and culture are threatened by the possible construction of the Xalalá dam. During the tour we mobilized our grassroots base to stand in solidarity with impacted communities by calling [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:49:30+00:00June 11th, 2015|Defense of life and territory, Xalalá Dam|

A corruption scandal, a new Vice President and the largest mass mobilization in Guatemala’s recent history

Tens of thousands gather in Guatemala's central park to demand an end to impunity and corruption. Photo credit: SkyCam Guatemala A crime ring that defrauded the Guatemalan national tax collection agency (SAT) and customs office, and implicated high-level authorities in different government institutions all the way up to Vice President [...]

nisgua_admin2020-01-01T21:26:54+00:00May 18th, 2015|Justice and accountability|

How a quasi-military project was created to protect the Escobal mine

An affidavit given on November 24, 2014 by Donald Paul Gray, vice president of the Canadian mining company Tahoe Resources Inc., has shed light on the strong interests at play since 2011 in contracting private security companies for the Escobal mining project in San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa. [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:59:10+00:00April 8th, 2015|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

Uncertainty around the Xalalá Hydroelectric Project

Posted on February 28, 2015 by ACOGUATE Translation by NISGUA On November 7, 2013, the National Electrification Institute (Instituto Nacional de Electrificación, INDE) signed an Emergency Purchase contract with the Brazilian company Intertechne Consultores, S.A. to conduct the geotechnical, seismic, geological and geophysical feasibility studies for the Xalalá dam, [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:59:20+00:00March 17th, 2015|Defense of life and territory, Xalalá Dam|

NISGUA Fall Tour 2014

FULL ITINERARY: SEATTLE, WA.; OCTOBER 2-6 Area Contact Phil Neff: phil.neff@gmail.com OCTOBER 2 Seattle University, 1:30-2:30pm 901 12th Avenue Bannan Building, Room 102 Seattle, WA 98122 Traditions Fair Trade Café; 7-8:30pm $5-15 Sliding Donation 300 5th Avenue SW Olympia, WA 98501 OCTOBER 3 Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center, 5:00pm [...]

nisgua_admin2018-01-11T20:14:15+00:00September 18th, 2014|Tour, Xalalá Dam|

Comunidades de Santa Rosa y Jalapa lanzan campaña contra la expansión de Tahoe Resources

--> Comunicado de Prensa: Comunidades Organizadas en Defensa del Territorio y la Naturaleza de Santa Rosa y Jalapa Valla anti-minera ubicada en Mataquescuintla, Jalapa. Photo NISGUA Desde el año 2012 a la fecha, en nuestros municipios se han realizado Consultas Municipales a Solicitud de Vecinos, en las cuales más [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T17:33:10+00:00September 8th, 2014|defensa del territorio, Escobal (ESP)|

Court rules that Guatemala must recognize results of community consultations

In an historic resolution, a Guatemalan Appeals Court ruled last week that the government must take into account the right to free, prior and informed consent when granting mining licenses on the lands of indigenous communities. The ruling came in response to a legal action presented by the Sipakapense [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T17:20:18+00:00July 31st, 2014|Defense of life and territory, Escobal, Huehuetenango, Xalalá Dam|

Lawsuit Against Tahoe Resources a Wake Up Call for Investors and Canadians

Source: MiningWatch Canada - Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) - Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network June 18, 2014 (Ottawa/Tatamagouche/Guatemala City) A civil lawsuit filed today in Vancouver against Tahoe Resources for negligence and battery in connection with a shooting at the company’s silver project in [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:41:59+00:00June 18th, 2014|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

Xalalá geological feasibility studies, an emergency contract?

The monitoring committee of the community consultation in the Ixcán writes to the public opinion, social organizations, indigenous organizations and human rights protection organizations with the purpose of informing about the situation created by the plans for the construction of the Xalalá hydro-electric dam. Last November 7, the National [...]

nisgua_admin2018-01-12T09:20:36+00:00January 6th, 2014|Defense of life and territory, Xalalá Dam|

Estudios de factibilidad geológica Xalalá, ¿Una contratación de emergencia?

La Comisión de Seguimiento a la Consulta Comunitaria en Ixcán se dirige a la opinión pública, organizaciones sociales, organizaciones indígenas y organismos de protección a los derechos humanos con el fin de informar sobre la situación generada por los planes para la construcción de la hidroeléctrica Xalalá. El 7 [...]

nisgua_admin2018-01-12T09:22:10+00:00January 6th, 2014|defensa del territorio, Represa Xalalá|

Tens of Thousands Oppose Tahoe Resources’ Escobal Project in Guatemala

Please show your support for mining-affected communities in the area of Tahoe's Escobal project! Take action with this online petition directed at President, CEO and Director of Tahoe Resources, Kevin McArthur. (Versión original en español abajo) (Guatemala City/Ottawa) Contrary to Tahoe Resources’ recent claims, tens of thousands of people oppose [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T17:34:54+00:00December 24th, 2013|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

Jalapa says NO to mining! Guatemalan Constitutional Court hears case related to Tahoe Resources’ mining license

Jalapa has said NO to mining. Photo: Xinka Parliament On Sunday, November 10, in a community consultation in the municipality of Jalapa, 23,152 people said NO to chemical metal mining. Members of Santa María Xalapán and other indigenous Xinca communities in Jalapa requested the popular vote in order to [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T17:21:04+00:00November 19th, 2013|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

Take action: Tell Tahoe Resources to pack its bags and leave Guatemala!

The time has come to support community resistance to the Escobal mine by echoing their voices internationally. Take Action! Write Kevin McArthur, President of Tahoe Resources, to demand the company respect communities' right to self-determination and leave Guatemala! Since communities surrounding Tahoe Resource's Escobal silver mine first organized community [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:50:19+00:00October 24th, 2013|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

Comunicado urgente por detención a lideres de Santa Cruz Barillas

A LA OPINIÓN PÚBLICA NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL MANIFESTAMOS: El pueblo Q'anjobal de Santa Cruz Barillas a pesar de la represión y violación a sus derechos humanos a defendido su territorio a través de las consultas comunitarias ante la instalación de la hidroeléctrica propiedad de la empresa española Hidralia S.A. [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T17:35:37+00:00August 29th, 2013|defensa del territorio, Huehuetenango - ESP|

Gains for communities defending life and territory as mining takes a hit in Guatemala

On July 22, a Canadian court ruled that Hudbay Minerals will stand trial in Canada for violence, including murder and rape, carried out by employees of its former Guatemalan subsidiary, Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel S.A. (CGN). The struggle to hold this Canadian mining company responsible for human rights abuses [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T17:47:11+00:00August 20th, 2013|Defense of life and territory, Huehuetenango|

Guatemalan complainants celebrate effective suspension of Tahoe Resources license

CALAS and the Xinca Parliament announce the suspension of Tahoe Resources' mining license on Wednesday morning. Photo: Prensa Libre (Ottawa/Guatemala City) On Tuesday, the Civil and Mercantile Division of Guatemala’s First Court of Appeals notified the Centre for Environmental and Social Legal Action (CALAS) that it is upholding an [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:42:52+00:00July 25th, 2013|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|

Indigenous organizations denounce proposed mining moratorium

In a televised program broadcast from outside Tahoe Resources’ conflictive Escobal mine project, President Otto Pérez Molina announced a proposed two-year moratorium on the granting of new mineral mining licenses. A similar moratorium put in place under the Colom presidency was lifted under the Molina administration, allowing for the [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:29:49+00:00July 11th, 2013|Defense of life and territory, Escobal, Huehuetenango|

Members of La Puya resistance meet with President Otto Pérez Molina

Yolanda Oquelí (foreground) meets with Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina and Minister of The Interior Mauricio Lopez Bonilla. Photo: Giles Clarke In an uncharacteristic move, President Otto Pérez Molina and the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) invited members of the peaceful resistance of La Puya to a high [...]

nisgua_admin2018-01-15T15:36:11+00:00June 19th, 2013|Defense of life and territory, La Puya|

Communities denounce Xalalá dam and oil exploitation

The following press releases have been translated by NISGUA as part of its ongoing human rights accompaniment of communities threatened by the Xalalá dam project. Press Release 1 25 October 2012 Guatemala Imposition of Development Projects Threatens the Life of Communities in Ixcán Considering that the Ministry of [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:32:02+00:00October 30th, 2012|Defense of life and territory, Xalalá Dam|

Criminalization and Violence Erupt in the Shadow of the Escobal Mine

In recent weeks the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores has seen growing conflict around the installation of the Escobal silver mine, owned by the Canadian corporation Tahoe Resources. Local community organizers and allies from the Center for Legal, Environmental and Social Action (CALAS) denounced in August a wave [...]

nisgua_admin2019-12-27T18:22:24+00:00September 25th, 2012|Defense of life and territory, Escobal|