Source: MiningWatch Canada
A new complaint to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights makes the case for Canada’s legal accountability for human rights abuses tied to its mining companies overseas.
OTTAWA – Finding no avenues for justice in Canada, the family of murdered Mexican environment defender Mariano Abarca have filed a groundbreaking complaint against Canada at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
are on the rise. “As more Canadian mining money comes to Mexico, risk of violence against human rights and environment defenders opposing these projects increases substantially,” says Esperanza Salazar. “Canadian officials need to have this front and centre.”
Canada recently announced its candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council’s 2028-2030 term and topping Canada’s list of priorities is “seeking justice and accountability for those on the frontlines of defending human rights.” For Viviana Herrera, the Latin America Program Coordinator for MiningWatch Canada, Canada has a long way to go to get serious about accountability. “Canadian embassies continue to play a major role advancing Canadian mining investment across the world,” she says. “Yet they wash their hands of any responsibility to protect the people who are put in harm’s way because of that Canadian investment. We are looking to the IACHR to finally take this case seriously – because Canada hasn’t.”
Documents:
- Summary of the petition (available in English, Spanish, and French)
- Full petition (available in English)
- For more information: Justice4Mariano.net
Contacts:
- Viviana Herrera, Latin American Program Coordinator, MiningWatch Canada, viviana@miningwatch.ca, tel. 438-993-1264
- Leah Gardner, Lawyer, Justice and Corporate Accountability Project (JCAP), lgardner@justice-project.org
To coordinate interviews with José Luis Abarca, Esperanza Salazar, or other Mexican civil society organizations, contact Viviana Herrera (English, Spanish, or French).
See also: “Accumulation by Dispossession” by the Global Extractive Industry: The Case of Canada
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