2010 Constitutional Petition filed by Mayan Communities to Suspend Marlin Mine

On 2 March 2010, several Mayan communities presented a petition for constitutional protection with the Guatemalan authorities, calling for the immediate suspension of all mining activities taking place on Mayan land, including Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine” (Intercontinental Cry, 2010). The petition followed a request by the International Labour Organization (ILO) for information regarding consultation and participation procedures surrounding mining activities, and a recommendation that such activities be suspended while consultation was ongoing (See the Legal Action, entitled “2010-2015 ILO Criticizes Guatemala on Mining and Indigenous Communities [Marlin]“, for more information). The petition was filed in partnership with the Association of Mayan Lawyers and Notaries of Guatemala and 12 communities from the municipality of San Juan Sacatepéquez. The petition was signed at a meeting with representatives of the 12 communities, who were accompanied by the director of the Campesina Unity Committee (CUC). On 6 April of the same year, a group of 80 national and international organizations filed a request to the Secretary General of the President to enforce the petition filed on 2 March (Loarca, 2016). The mine continued to operate until 2016 when it was suspended due to tunnel collapse that resulted in the death of one worker. It ultimately closed in 2017.