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Request for Precautionary Measures Pursuant to Article 25 of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Rules of Procedure Concerning Serious and Urgent Risks of Irreparable Harm Arising Out of the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project in British Columbia, Canada (Case N° 15.329)
The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC) is seeking urgent intervention from the IACHR to prevent the approval of the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project, a gold and silver mine in British Columbia. SEITC argues that Canada and B.C. have failed to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of the seven member Tribes whose traditional territories include the Unuk River watershed. The document highlights risks of toxic pollution from tailings dams and acid mine drainage, which could devastate salmon and eulachon (hooligan) populations essential for the Tribes' subsistence and culture. SEITC contends that B.C.'s current consultation process is deficient and discriminatory because it excludes Alaskan-based Tribes from the 'participating Indigenous nation' framework used for B.C.-based First Nations.
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Document type: Report
MERITS OBSERVATIONS TO THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING RELIEF FROM VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA INDIGENOUS TRANSBOUNDARY COMMISSION RESULTING FROM HARD-ROCK MINING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC) is seeking relief from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights due to the impacts of hard-rock mining in British Columbia, Canada. The document argues that mining projects in the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk watersheds threaten the subsistence and cultural rights of Southeast Alaska Native communities through heavy metal pollution and habitat destruction. SEITC alleges that Canada and B.C. have failed to conduct comprehensive transboundary environmental assessments, have ignored the need for free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), and have used a flawed amendment process to expand mine operations without adequate scrutiny. The submission introduces a new claim regarding the violation of the right to a healthy environment and requests that the Commission investigate these claims and recommend the suspension of mine authorizations until transboundary harms are addressed.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
PETITION TO THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING RELIEF FROM VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA INDIGENOUS TRANSBOUNDARY COMMISSION RESULTING FROM HARD-ROCK MINING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC), representing fifteen tribal nations, petitions the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for relief against Canada. The petition argues that six hard-rock mines in British Columbia—including the Red Chris, Brucejack, and KSM mines—threaten the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk river watersheds. These mines risk releasing toxic heavy metals and experiencing catastrophic tailings-dam failures, which would devastate salmon and eulachon populations essential to the Petitioners' subsistence, health, and cultural identity. The document asserts that Canada has failed its international obligations to prevent transboundary harm and has not obtained the free, prior, and informed consent of the affected Indigenous communities. It further argues that Canadian domestic legal remedies are inadequate for foreign tribes.
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Document type: Report
Stopping the Kensington Mine Project
The document details a legal battle over the Kensington gold mine in Southeast Alaska, where the Army Corps of Engineers classified toxic mine waste as 'fill material' to bypass EPA limits. While the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal initially ruled the permit illegal in 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed this decision in 2009, allowing the mine to operate and dump waste into a sub-alpine lake.
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Document type: Case study