Defensoras y Defensores Ambientales en Peligro La Situación en México y Centro América En el Ámbito de la Industria Minera

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), prepared for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, documents a regional trend of violence and human rights abuses against environmental defenders in Mexico and Central America within the industrial mining sector. It highlights the severe social and environmental impacts of mining and argues that state failure to regulate the industry and protect defenders leads to high levels of impunity.

• Environmental defenders in Mexico and Central America face a growing trend of violence and repression, including death threats, arbitrary detention, kidnapping, and assassination, often with the tacit acceptance of the State.
• The violence against environmental defenders is attributed to two primary causes: the failure of States to manage the environmental impacts of mining projects, which creates conflict, and the failure to protect human rights, resulting in high impunity for perpetrators.
• Industrial mining causes significant environmental degradation, including the contamination of water, air, and soil, as well as reduced access to water and noise pollution, which directly impacts the health and well-being of local communities.
• Mining operations generate severe social risks, including forced displacement of communities, government corruption, and the emergence of social tensions such as prostitution and alcoholism due to migration for work.
• There is a systemic failure by the home countries of foreign mining companies, specifically Canada and the United States, to enact and enforce legislation that prevents or punishes human rights violations committed by their companies abroad.
• In Mexico, specific cases of violence include the November 2009 assassination of indigenous leader Mariano Abarca Roblero in Chiapas, who opposed the Canadian company Blackfire, and the May 2010 torture and murder of three environmental inspectors and a local guide investigating the 'La Guitarra' mine.
• In Guatemala, the Marlin mine (operated by Goldcorp) has been linked to conflicts over land acquisition and lack of informed consent; notably, defender Diodora Antonia Hernandez Cinto was shot in the head in July 2010.
• In El Salvador, the presence of the Canadian company Pacific Rim in Cabañas is associated with severe violence, including the torture and murder of Marcelo Rivera in July 2009 and the December 2009 killings of Ramiro Rivera Gómez and Felicita Echeverría.
• In Honduras, environmental defenders have faced extreme risks, exemplified by the 2003 assassination of journalist Germán Rivas after he denounced the contamination of the Lara River and the forced exile of ASONOG director Francisco Machado Leiva in 2008.
• In Panama, the State has used police force to destroy camps of anti-mining organizations like the Committee Pro Cierre de Mina Petaquilla and passed legislation (Law 30, or 'Ley Chorizo') that reduces environmental impact assessment requirements and limits the right to strike.
• The report recommends that States strengthen institutional protection for defenders, reinforce environmental legal regimes, implement the right to free, prior, and informed consent for affected communities, and hold home countries responsible for the actions of their foreign mining companies.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2010). Defensoras y Defensores Ambientales en Peligro La Situación en México y Centro América En el Ámbito de la Industria Minera. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/IACHR_Oct10.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Defensoras y Defensores Ambientales en Peligro La Situación en México y Centro América En el Ámbito de la Industria Minera. 2010. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/IACHR_Oct10.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Defensoras y Defensores Ambientales en Peligro La Situación en México y Centro América En el Ámbito de la Industria Minera |date=October 2010 |url=https://www.ciel.org/Publications/IACHR_Oct10.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2010defensoras, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Defensoras y Defensores Ambientales en Peligro La Situación en México y Centro América En el Ámbito de la Industria Minera}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2010}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/Publications/IACHR_Oct10.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }