Video: Mayan widow tells Canadian mining company, Guatemala 'converted into blood'
Angelica Choc (Q'eqchi') comes from Guatemala to shame one of Canada's biggest mining coroporations: Barrick Gold, at the doorsteps of their headquarters in downtown Vancouver.
Angelica and others from the Mayan Q'eqchi community of El estor, Guatemala have filed three suits against HudBay Minerals for the murder of 2 mining activists and the gang-rape of 11 women from Lote Ocho. Alleged abuses were comitted by the companies security personnel at one of HudBay's now closed mines. (Canadian mining company Barrick Gold recently settled in court to compensate Papa New Guinea women after allegeed rapes - settling is a good tactic if you don't want your violent abuses made public).
In 2013 an Ontario court ruled that the lawsuits against HudBay Minerals can proceed to trial in Canada. It is the first time a Canadian court will hear the the human rights abuses carried out by a Canadian mining company abroad. "Canadian mining corporations can no longer hide behind their legal corporate structure to abdicate responsibility for human rights abuses that take place at foreign mines under their control at various locations throughout the world."
Angelica vows (Transcription and translation by Darina Novotny):
What can i tell you? this building... they have stolen all of the natural resources
of my country, guatemala they are assassins, they are thieves, they are corrupt,
they have fallen, they have robbed the riches of my country this is guatemala
but it is being converted into blood these [people] cause harms to my indigenous
brothers and sisters (compañero) and rob their earth.
What can i say? when i feel it, when i lament it all of these canadian brothers are
mobilizing out of the goodness of their hearts peace. hese [people] are the ones
who soil the image of other parts of the world they are taking the riches from
other countries.
Que puedo decirte? este edificio han robado los recursos naturales de mi pais,
guatemala son asesinos, son ladrones, son corruptos, hai caido, han robado
la riquesa de mi pais este es guatemala pero esto esta convertido en sangre
estos hacen mal a mis compañeros y compañeras indigenas que roban su tierra
Que puedo decir? cuanto lo siento, cuanto lamento que tantos hermanos canadiences
se estan moviendo (?) de corazon paz son los que manchan la imagen de diferentes
partes del mundo estan traiendo la riquesa de otros paises.
Video (C. G. Armtrong) April 28 2015