On 31 July 2018, after repeated failures of local and national authorities to address their concerns regarding the ASP mining concessions, the Municipal Committee in Defence of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP) and supporters established a protest encampment on the access road to the mine. The protest encampment in defence of water and life lastedContinue reading “2018 Eviction of protest encampment”
Subsoil Key Actors Category Archives
2018-2022 Criminalisation and detention of CMDBCP environmental rights defenders
The criminalisation and unwarranted detention of human rights defenders in Honduras has been widely documented by national and international human rights organizations (IACHR, 2019: para. 306; Statement at the end of visit to Honduras by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, 2019). This includes the manipulation of the justice system to mountContinue reading “2018-2022 Criminalisation and detention of CMDBCP environmental rights defenders”
2018-2022 Legal challenges to criminalization of environmental defenders
Facing criminalization for protesting against the ASP1 and ASP2 mining project, the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP), partner organizations and defence lawyers have mobilized to challenge their baseless judicial persecution (See Legal Action entitled “2018-2022 Criminalization and detention of CMDBCP environmental rights defenders”). This involved the voluntary presentations ofContinue reading “2018-2022 Legal challenges to criminalization of environmental defenders”
2019 Request for IACHR precautionary measures on behalf of Guapinol human rights activists
Lawyers representing the environmental activists of Municipal Committee in Defence of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP) in detention or threatened with arrest requested the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to issue precautionary measures obliging the Honduran government to protect the Guapinol defenders at risk and respect their right to promote the protection of humanContinue reading “2019 Request for IACHR precautionary measures on behalf of Guapinol human rights activists”
2020 Human Rights Ombudsperson issues public letter criticising criminal case against Guapinol defenders
Issued on 22 September 2020, the Honduran Human Rights Ombudsperson’s public letter directed at the judicial authorities made the case for the detained members of the Municipal Committee in Defence of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP) as human rights activists engaged in legitimate protest activities. The letter also pointed to the failure of the judiciaryContinue reading “2020 Human Rights Ombudsperson issues public letter criticising criminal case against Guapinol defenders”
2019 IACHR issues report on the Situation of Human Rights in Honduras
IIn October 2019, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued a country report on Honduras. The report was based on a field visit to Honduras in 2018 to gather evidence on the human rights situation. The report documents a wide range of human rights violations and failures of public institutions to comply with internationalContinue reading “2019 IACHR issues report on the Situation of Human Rights in Honduras”
2019 National Protection System recognises the CMDBCP as a human rights organization
In August 2019, the National System for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders officially recognised in written correspondence DGSP234-2019 that the CMDBCP is an organization engaged in activities of the legtimate defence of human rights. As such, a key branch of the state human rights aparatus recognised the CMDBCP as human rights actors, enabling theContinue reading “2019 National Protection System recognises the CMDBCP as a human rights organization”
2014- Citizen Transborder Treaty Drafting [Cerro Blanco]
For Salvadoran NGOs involved in the Mesa Nacional frente a la Minería Metálica (National Roundtable against Metallic Mining), the regulation of transborder water resources in Central America has been an issue for many years. Their concerns emerged out of the discovery that both Guatemala and Honduras have received requests for exploration and exploitation of mineralsContinue reading “2014- Citizen Transborder Treaty Drafting [Cerro Blanco]”
2017 El Salvador passes Legislative Ban on Metallic Mining
On 29 March 2017, the Legislative Assembly approved a law prohibiting metallic mining in El Salvador. The law enjoyed cross-party support, passing with 69 out of 84 votes, well over the qualifying majority (Reuters, 2017 and Montoya, 2021).The law prohibits all exploration, extraction and processing of metals, whether in open pits or underground, and officiallyContinue reading “2017 El Salvador passes Legislative Ban on Metallic Mining”
2014-2017 Five municipalities declare themselves “Mining-Free Territories” through popular consultation procedures
Articles 115 and 116 of El Salvador’s Municipal Code require municipal governments to promote citizen participation through various mechanisms, including popular consultations (consulta popular). According to art. 117, a popular consultation must be held where “40% of eligible voters request in writing” that one be called (See also Stopesmining.org, 2014). Moreover, the municipal council cannotContinue reading “2014-2017 Five municipalities declare themselves “Mining-Free Territories” through popular consultation procedures”
