#ElSalvador faces scrutiny for ‘political’ trial of five #EnvironmentalActivists

UN and legal experts have condemned prosecution of #AntiMining campaigners over alleged civil war-era killing

Nina Lakhani
Wed 9 Oct 2024 11.43 EDT

"Five environmental activists who helped secure a historic mining ban in El Salvador are facing life imprisonment for an alleged civil war-era crime, in a case that has been condemned by #UN and legal experts as baseless and politically motivated.

The trial against Miguel Ángel Gámez, Alejandro Laínez García, Pedro Antonio Rivas Laínez, Antonio Pacheco and Saúl Agustín Rivas Ortega, who were arrested in January 2023 for the alleged killing of an army informant in 1989, opened on Tuesday in Sensuntepeque, in the department of Cabañas in northern El Salvador.

"The case has proceeded in almost total secrecy amid widespread allegations of legal violations – and repeated calls for the charges to be dismissed from UN experts, and hundreds of international lawyers, academics and rights groups.

"The defendants, who were at the forefront of a 13-year grassroots-led campaign to ban #MetalMining to protect the country’s dwindling #water and #farmland from further #contamination, were arrested amid warnings that President Nayib Bukele was planning to overturn the 2017 historic law.

"The five anti-mining activists had denounced suspicious land sales and mining interests operating in the area when arrested, accused of murder and illicit association over an alleged crime during the 1979-1992 civil war.

"'This case has no legal basis, but we fear that the lack of judicial independence and the Bukele government’s desire to overturn the metal mining ban risks the five #environmental leaders being subjected to a terrible miscarriage of justice,' said Pedro Cabezas, coordinator of the Central American Alliance Against Mining.

"'The five are respected community leaders, and sentencing them to inhumane prison conditions would be a death sentence.'"

[...]

"In what was perceived as a show of support for the activists, #Canada, #Germany, #France, the #UK and the #EU sent representatives to pre-trial hearings. The #Biden administration has remained silent despite 17 members of Congress condemning the arrests and urging the secretary of state, Antony #Blinken, to join calls for the charges to be dismissed."

Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/09/el-salvador-trial-environmental-activists-mining

#EnvironmentalActivists #CriminalizingActivism #WaterIsLife #TrumpedUpCharges #NoMiningWithoutConsent #BigMining #Corruption

Your Questions Answered: #Wolfden’s Proposed #PickettMountain #Mine

September 27, 2023

"An untested and underfunded company called #WolfdenResources has submitted a second rezoning petition to the Land Use Planning Commission (#LUPC) to allow for the development of a zinc mine near #PickettMountain in the #Katahdin region. The Canada-based exploration and development company focused on metallic mining deposits was forced to withdraw its first application in 2021 because it was riddled with errors.

"The proposed mine has been identified by the LUPC as an 'issue of statewide concern' and has attracted a lot of attention because of its location just miles away from #BaxterStatePark and #Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument.

"Here are some answers to frequently asked questions that have arisen as people seek to better understand what is being proposed.

"What is the potential impact on local wildlife and fisheries?

"The location of the proposed mine is directly adjacent to some of the state’s best habitat for #BrookTrout and #AtlanticSalmon. It is next to three State Heritage Fish Waters and contains the headwaters of the West Branch of the #MattawamkeagRiver, which is federally designated critical habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon. The #PenobscotNation and other organizations have worked hard to restore habitat for Atlantic salmon and brook trout in Maine. #Mining pollution could reverse this progress.

"The mine would destroy critical habitat for threatened #CanadaLynx and habitat for other iconic Maine species, such as #moose and #PineMarten.

"What is the significance of the area surrounding the proposed mine site to Wabanaki tribes?

"The Katahdin region and #PenobscotRiver #watershed are sacred to #WabanakiTribes. The tribes have an intimate cultural and physical relationship with the land and water, which continues today through traditional practices such as sustenance fishing and hunting. The location of Wolfden’s proposed mine is near several important tribal trust lands.

"The tribes also have a close connection to Atlantic salmon and have long worked to recover habitat for the species. The proposed mine would be located in critical habitat for endangered at Atlantic salmon and would endanger that progress."

https://www.nrcm.org/blog/faqs-wolfden-proposed-pickett-mountain-mine/

#Maine #MetalMiningPollution #NatureOfMaineBlog #Waters #WaterIsLife #MetalMining #EnvironmentalRacism #WabanakiConfederacy

Electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries with small amounts of nickel, manganese and cobalt. These metals determine the properties of the batteries, such as how much energy they can store, how long they last, and how quickly they charge. The production of these metals is associated with environmental and humanitarian issues, such as mining pollution and human rights violations. #ElectricVehicles #LithiumIonBatteries #MetalMining

https://www.livescience.com/chemistry/how-do-electric-batteries-work-and-what-affects-how-long-they-last?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=HariTulsidas%2Fmagazine%2FArchetypes