ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS IN DANGER: THE SITUATION IN MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA IN THE CONTEXT OF INDUSTRIAL MINING

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) documents a regional trend of human rights abuses, violence, and killings targeting environmental defenders opposing industrial mining in Mexico and Central America. It argues that these abuses are driven by the failure of host states to manage environmental impacts and protect defenders, as well as a lack of accountability for mining companies in their home states, particularly Canada and the United States.

• There is a growing regional trend of violence and repression against environmental defenders in Mexico and Central America, including death threats, arbitrary detention, kidnapping, assassination, and the destruction of private property.
• The violence against environmental defenders is attributed to two primary causes: the failure of host states to manage the environmental impacts of mining projects, which creates conflict, and the failure of states to protect human rights defenders, leading to high levels of impunity.
• Industrial mining poses severe environmental risks, including the contamination of air, soil, and water. Water risks specifically include the release of heavy metals and chemicals like cyanide and arsenic during leaching, as well as the depletion of water tables and reduced river flow.
• Mining operations generate significant social risks, including government corruption, forced relocation of communities, and violence often perpetrated by private security groups with government acquiescence.
• The report identifies a failure by 'home states'—specifically Canada and the United States—to enact or enforce legislation that prevents and punishes human rights violations committed by their mining companies operating abroad.
• In Mexico, the report documents several cases of violence, including the November 2009 murder of indigenous leader Mariano Abarca in Chiapas, the May 20, 2010 murder of three environmental inspectors and a local resident in Temascaltepec, and attacks on activists from the Broad Opposition Front to the San Xavier mine.
• In Guatemala, the report highlights severe abuses related to the Marlin mine (Goldcorp, Inc.) and the CGN Nickel Mine in El Estor, including the 2010 shooting of defender Deodora Antonia Hernández Cinto and the 2007 violent eviction of Maya Q'eqchi' villages.
• In El Salvador, the report notes the murder of environmental defender Marcelo Rivera in June 2009 and the December 2009 assassinations of Ramiro Rivera Gómez and Dora “Alicia” Recinos Sorto, linked to opposition to the Canadian company Pacific Rim.
• In Honduras, the report cites the 2003 murder of journalist Germán Rivas, who denounced mining contamination of the Lara River, and the forced exile of ASONOG director Francisco Machado Leiva due to death threats.
• In Panama, the report describes the 2009 police destruction of encampments opposing the Petaquilla mine and the passage of Law 30 (the ‘Sausage’ Law), which eliminates obligatory environmental impact evaluations.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2010). ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS IN DANGER: THE SITUATION IN MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA IN THE CONTEXT OF INDUSTRIAL MINING. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IACHR_Eng_Oct10.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS IN DANGER: THE SITUATION IN MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA IN THE CONTEXT OF INDUSTRIAL MINING. 2010. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IACHR_Eng_Oct10.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS IN DANGER: THE SITUATION IN MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA IN THE CONTEXT OF INDUSTRIAL MINING |date=October 2010 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IACHR_Eng_Oct10.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2010environmental, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS IN DANGER: THE SITUATION IN MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA IN THE CONTEXT OF INDUSTRIAL MINING}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2010}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IACHR_Eng_Oct10.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }