Intag Solidarity Network

In solidarity with the communities of the Intag region of Ecuador.

Archive for July, 2007

Mining critics ‘facing death threats’

27th July 2007

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=d3626d83-2eb0-415a-b7ea-cdaf2719d34f

Mining critics ‘facing death threats’: report

Ecuador project being ’smeared,’ Ascendant Copper says

Kelly Patterson,

The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, July 27, 2007

Opponents of a Canadian mining operation in Ecuador are “facing death threats and attacks,”
Amnesty International warned in a report released this week.

The move comes at the same time as Ascendant Copper Corp. is responding to allegations of land-sale irregularities by Ecuador’s anti-corruption watchdog, and an order by the Ministry of Energy and Mines to stop “dividing” the community.

Tensions over Ascendant’s Junin project, a copper-molybdenum mine in an ecologically sensitive region of northwestern Ecuador, have been running high in recent months.

Now Polivio Perez, head of the Community Development Council in Garcia Moreno Parish, near the mine site, has been offered police protection after reporting a series of threats.

Another mine opponent, Mercy Torres, says she was beaten at her home earlier this month. She reportedly received death threats two months earlier.

A team from Amnesty International who visited the area in November recorded reports of “intimidation, harassment and attacks” against opponents of the mine.

But Francisco Ventimilla, general manger of the Junin project, says “there is no proof” to back the allegations, adding the charges are part of a smear campaign against the company.

Tension over the project exploded in December when a consulting firm hired by Ascendant broke through community roadblocks with the help of armed paramilitaries. The incident led to hostage-takings on both sides.

“We cut relations with that company in January … (because) they didn’t have the company’s permission” to bring in armed guards, says Mr.Ventimilla.

“We have a very strict policy about the use of weapons and aggression in the field.” The allegations are just the latest in a series of setbacks the project has suffered in recent days.

Earlier this week, Ecuador’s Ministry of Energy and Mines ordered Ascendant to stop its community-relations work, saying it was “intended to divide the community.” “The ministry doesn’t have the right to control our corporate-social responsibility policies,” says Mr. Ventimilla, arguing that company policies are separate from formal community-relations programs, which are part of an official agreement through the environmental-assessment process.

The company provides services such as medical, educational and agricultural-training programs — all of them part of the company’s internal policy, he says.

Previous community-development projects have been plagued by problems, however.

In 2005, a local development group funded by the company was headed by a former general who, along with some of his bodyguards, was accused of issuing death threats and even shooting at mine opponents. Ascendant eventually fired him and other staff and the group later folded.

Ecuador’s anti-corruption watchdog also urged the government to investigate alleged irregularities in the Ascendant land deals, saying speculators snapped up 18 properties earmarked for use as farmland, and sold them within weeks to the mine at prices 40 to 50 times higher than they had paid.

Noting the “unusually speedy” transactions and inflated prices, the commission urged the government to reclaim the land to ensure it is used as farmland.

Mr. Ventimilla says the company bought the land so it could control access to its concessions. It intends to use the land for conservation programs to preserve biodiversity and offset deforestation, he says.

As for the comparatively high sale prices, he puts that down to rampant tax evasion. Most people declare only a fraction of what they pay in order to dodge taxes, he explains. “We pay the real value of the land and we pay the taxes on it.” The anti-corruption panel also raised the alarm about alleged irregularities in the company’s environmental impact study, warning that these allegedly “illegal actions” could “seriously jeopardize … one of the 25 most important biological areas on the planet.” The Junin region in northwest Ecuador lies in one of the world’s richest areas for biodiversity and is home to several endangered species, including jaguars and brown-headed spider monkeys.

The panel calls the firm’s Environmental Impact Study “superficial,” saying it “bears no relationship to the reality of the project.” But Mr. Ventimilla says the firm has recruited some of Ecuador’s top consultants to review its study, adding that this effort has been hampered by anti-mining roadblocks blocking access to the site.

“If these experts do not approve the study, the project will not go ahead,” he says.

Carlos Zorrilla, spokesman for DECOIN, an Ecuadoran environmental group that opposes the mine, says the firm’s many troubles send a warning signal to regulators and investors.

“In light of official recognition of the longstanding problems surrounding Ascendant’s operations in Ecuador, it is clear that due diligence simply is not being exercised by brokers and investors with shares in Ascendant, nor by regulatory authorities in Canada.”

© The Ottawa Citizen 2007

Posted in News | Comments Off

Amnesty International Calls for Investigation in Intag

26th July 2007

Yesterday, July 25, 2007, Amnesty International (AI) released a call-to-action asking that letters be sent to officials in Ecuador requesting an investigation of human rights abuses committed against Intag community members opposed to the mining project in Ecuador, of which Ascendant Copper Corporation is the principle architect. See the full report below.
This is a crucial time for those in solidarity with Intag to send letters as suggested by AI. The more people who write the greater will be the pressure on the Ecuadorian government to take action.
**********************

Ecuadorian community activists are facing death threats and attacks for being against copper mining operations.

PUBLIC
AI Index: AMR 28/002/2007
UA 193/07
Fear for safety
25 July 2007

ECUADOR

Jaime Polivio Pérez Lucero (m), community leader in García Moreno parish

Mercy Catalina Torres Terán (f)

Others opposed to the Intag copper mining project

According to reports, community leader Jaime Polivio Pérez Lucero has been threatened and activist Mercy Catalina Torres Terán has been attacked, as a result of their opposition to a mining project close to their homes in the Intag area of Imbabura province, northern Ecuador. Their lives, and those of others who voice opposition to the mine, are in danger.

Jaime Polivio Pérez Lucero, from Garcia Moreno parish in Imbabura, a group of villages close to a site where the authorities and a mining company are planning to excavate for copper, has received a series of death threats in recent months. In December 2006, while he was taking part in a protest against the mining project, Jaime Polivio Pérez Lucero was reportedly approached by an armed civilian. The armed man told Jaime Polivio Pérez: “Si te sigues oponiendo a la

minera vamos a tener que matarte” (if you continue to oppose the mining company we will have to kill you). According to reports, the armed civilians and security guards used tear gas and shot at the demonstrators, injuring several people. Among those injured was Jaime Polivio Pérez’s brother, Israel Pérez, who was shot.

Following the incident, Jaime Polivio Pérez reportedly received several anonymous calls on his mobile phone, in which the caller said, “Si no abandonas la dirigencia te vamos a matar. Deja de subir a Barcelona porque de caso contrario tendrás tu merecido” (If you do not quit the leadership [of a community organization in García Moreno] we are going to kill you. Stop going

to Barcelona [one of the communities of the García Moreno parish] or you will get what you deserve).

On 23 June 2007, according to reports, another member of the community received an anonymous email referring to a plan to kill Jaime Polivio Pérez. On 9 July, activist Mercy Catalina Torres was outside her home in Garcia Moreno when she was reportedly beaten by a man wearing a balaclava. She was cut and bruised in the attack. Mercy Catalina Torres had allegedly been threatened in her home two months before the attack, when a man apparently shouted at her: “porque ya vino el carro, te salvaste perra” (“because someone just arrived

in a car, you saved yourself, bitch”).

Jaime Polivio Pérez and Mercy Catalina Torres reported the incidents to the local Attorney’s Office. However, to date, Amnesty International is not aware of any investigation being opened into the threats or the attack, and no protection has been granted to them.

Both Jaime Polivio Pérez and Mercy Catalina Torres have been very active and outspoken in their campaigning against the planned copper mine. They believe that the communities which will be affected by the mining project have not been consulted in a meaningful, open and transparent way by the authorities. Members of these communities are concerned about the environmental impact it might have on the area, a nature reserve where most inhabitants depend on agriculture.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

During a visit to Ecuador in November 2006, Amnesty International visited Imbabura and met with some members of the communities affected by the mining project in Intag. The delegation received testimonies and reports of acts of intimidation, harassment and attacks against those who campaign against the mining project. Amnesty International wrote to the authorities asking for investigations to be opened into these incidents. However, to date, the organization is not aware of any investigations into these events.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Using your own words, please choose a few of the suggestions below to create a personal appeal and send it as quickly as possible:

expressing concern for the safety of Jaime Polivio Pérez Lucero, Mercy Catalina

Torres Terán, and other inhabitants of the Intag area, Imbabura, who are opposed to the copper mining project;

expressing concern that Jaime Polivio Pérez Lucero has been repeatedly threatened with death since December 2006, and that Mercy Catalina Torres Terán was beaten in July 2007;

stating that these acts of intimidation appear to be linked to their campaigning actions to defend the rights of the communities in Intag to a meaningful, open and transparent consultation prior to the development of any mining project in the area;

urging the authorities to take steps to guarantee the safety of Jaime Polivio Pérez Lucero and Mercy Catalina Torres Terán, in accordance with their own wishes;

urging the authorities to carry out an independent and impartial investigation into the death threat received by Jaime Polivio Pérez Lucero and the attack against Mercy Catalina Torres Terán, making the results public and bringing those responsible to justice;

asking to be informed of the results of these investigation.

APPEALS TO:

Minister of the Interior:
Dr. Gustavo Larrea
Ministro de Gobierno, Policía,
Justicia, Cultos y Municipalidades
Ministerio de Gobierno y Policía
Espejo y Benalcázar,
Quito- Ecuador
Fax: 011593 2295 5666 Ext. 155 or 011 593 2295 5666 Ext. 150 – 151 (ask for fax tone)

Salutation: Dear Minister/Señor Ministro
Attorney General:
Dr. Jorge Germán
Ministro Fiscal General del Estado
Fiscalía General del Estado
Av. Eloy Alfaro Nº 32-240 y República
Quito, Ecuador
Fax: 011 593 2255 8561 (may be difficult to reach)
Salutation: Dear Minister/Señor Ministro

Minister of Energy and Mines:
Econ. Alberto Acosta
Ministro de Energía y Minas
Ministerio de Energía y Minas
Juan León Mera Nº 26-220 y Orellana
Quito - Ecuador
Fax: 011 593 2290 6350
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Sr. Ministro Fiscal

COPIES TO:
Human Rights Non-governmental Organization CEDHU:
Comisión Ecumenica de Derechos Humanos
Carlos Ibarra 176 y 10 de Agosto
Edif. Yuraj Pirca 9no. Piso,
Quito, Ecuador
Fax: 011 593 2258 9272
E-mail: denuncias@cedhu.org

His Excellency Fernando Ribadeneira Fernández Salvador
Ambassador for Ecuador
50 O’Connor Street, Suite 316
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L2
Email: mecuacan@rogers.com
Fax: (613) 235-5776
PLEASE EXPEDITE YOUR MESSAGES ON THIS CASE. THANK YOU.

Posted in News | Comments Off

Ascendant Told To Stop

21st July 2007

Posted at DECOIN.ORG Wednesday, July 18, 2007

High officials with the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (formerly Energy and Mines) of Ecuador - including the Minister himself - sent two very crucial official documents to Ascendant Copper Corporation on the 12th and 15th of July of 2007, pointing out grave issues related to the company’s activities in the Junin area. The letters will have a direct impact on the future of the Junin mining project and, in fact, on the company’s future in Ecuador.

Following are the highlights of the content of the two documents:

- Ascendant Copper Corporation has not complied with article 88 of the Constitution, which requires previous consultation with the communities
- The company has not complied with the March 20th agreements between it and the government
- The lack of compliance by the company is reviving the grave social conflicts present in the area late last year
- The company’s activities is creating division and insecurity in the communities
- Ascendant is NOT AUTHORIZED to carry out community relations work
- The company HAS NOT SUBMITTED THE TERMS OF REFERENCE for the Environmental Impact Study
- The company has not submitted an Environmental Impact Study to replaced the EIS that was rejected on December 8 of 2006
- The Ministry orders Ascendant to immediately cease all activities- including those aimed at dividing the community and destroy the civil peace, and includies community relations work, and any other linked to agricultural projects.

In the next day or so we’ll have scanned copies and (hopefully) full translation of the documents up on our web page.

The fact that government officials are finally admitting that article 88 of the country’s Constitution was violated is a major step towards the annulment of Ascendant’s mining concessions. The article requires a process of community consultation prior to the government taking a decision which might impact a community’s environment. President Correa has said in many public scenarios that any illegal concessions will revert back to the state. After these two documents, we are fairly certain that Ascendant’s Junin concessions will be one of the first.

In short, the company keeps spending millions of dollars from a (largely) unsuspecting Canadian public, to fund the creation of havoc, insecurity and conflict in Ecuador. No one has yet been killed, but is this next step really inevitable? Is anyone at the Toronto Stock Exchange listening? Does anyone there care at all? What the hell are the authorities overseeing these companies doing?

Posted in News | Comments Off

Community Leader Implicates Ascendant in Death Threats

12th July 2007

Posted on the DECOIN website: July 11, 2007

Polibio Perez, president of the Community Development Council, asked the District Attorney of Imbabura Province that Ascendant Copper Corporations employees be investigated in conjunction to the death threats he has received during the past few months.

Mr. Perez suspects that the death threats emanate from Jorge Mantilla, CEO of Falericorp, a company contracted by Ascendant Copper Corporation in 2006, and Fernando Alba- also believed to be presently working for Falericorp. Mr. Alba and Mantilla have been seen in the Intag area in the past few weeks (Mr. Alba may be working for Honor and Laurel, a international private security firm).

The charges in part arise from an anonymous email sent to Carlos Zorrilla by what is presumed to be an ex-Ascendant employee, in which the person says that he has heard that the two persons named above and those of Ascendant were planning on killing Mr. Perez.

In his charges presented to Imbaburas Attorney General, Mr. Polibio Perez also mentions that during the December 2006 violence against the communities, and afterwards, that he received several death threats and felt unusually threatened. He presented as proof video and photographic evidence of the violence created by the so-called paramilitary force allegedly working under the guidance of Falericorp, and Mr. Alba. This particular extremely violent incident against the communities was financed by Ascendant Copper Corporation, who had hired Falericorp.

In the legal denouncement Mr. Perez charged that at one time Mr. Alba threatened him by saying: if you continue your opposition to mining we are going to have to kill you Mr. Perez together with his lawyer, Edgar Merlo, asked that the authorities investigate not only the persons named in the lawsuit, but that the investigation include all company employees from Falericorp and Ascendant Copper Corporation.

Posted in News | Comments Off