Articles

Interview with imprisoned human rights defender Julián Gil amid Covid threat

2020-05-27T09:19:56Z

It has been almost two years since Julián Gil – then technical secretary of the social movement People’s Congress – was imprisoned. His arrest on 6 June 2018 sent shock waves across social activists, and human rights defenders who organised solidarity protest chanting – Being a social leader is not a crime! The case of Julián Gil manifests the revival of the Colombian state strategy to silence social leaders by accusing them of connections to armed insurgent groups. The Attorney General Office accused Julián of indirect participation in warfare as a member of the ELN insurgency; the prosecution’s case against Julián rests exclusively on the testimony of one person and reportedly does not have material evidence.

Tabaco - still no justice after 18 years.

2019-08-11T09:27:10Z

On 9 August 2001 the Afro-Descendant community of Tabaco was forcibly displaced from their ancestral land to give way to the biggest open cast coal mine in Latin America: Cerrejon. The mine is currently owned by Anglo American, BHP and Glencore, three multinational mining companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, with very high profits.

Members of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, London Mining Network, War on Want and many others in more recent years, have been witness to the suffering and losses caused to the people of Tabaco and the environment during all these years. Today, 18 years after that tragedy, we stand in solidarity with Tabaco and support their demands. Please see below a translation of the invitation from the Junta Social Pro-reubicación de Tabaco (Tabaco Relocation Committee) to commemorate this date.

Click below to watch a short film in Spanish and read more.

Open letter to mining companies at Cerrejon, Colombia

2019-07-16T11:01:37Z

The following open letter was sent on Monday 8 July 2019 to Cerrejon Coal and its multinational corporate owners

Arroyo Bruno in La Guajira

Coal mining in Colombia: Diversion of the Arroyo Bruno and fulfilment of Constitutional Court Sentence SU-698 of 2017

We are writing to express our deep concern about the continuing attempts by the Cerrejón Coal Company and regulatory bodies of the Colombian government to undermine the rights – and ignore the wishes – of communities affected by the Cerrejón mine in La Guajira.

Coal dust and disturbed dreams

2018-10-11T18:07:00Z

The Cerrejon coal mine

By Richard Solly, member of Colombia Solidarity Campaign and Co-ordinator of London Mining Network

In August I participated in a delegation to the province of La Guajira in Colombia, organised by US-based Witness for Peace. We visited communities affected by the Cerrejon Coal mine, owned by London-listed mining multinationals Anglo American, BHP and Glencore.

Fear and loathing in La Guajira

2018-09-10T12:26:31Z

Report by Richard Solly of Colombia Solidarity Campaign and Co-ordinator of London Mining Network

It is sad to see fear on the faces of people you love because of the threats they are receiving.

We will continue to march for Peace

2018-04-30T17:44:20Z

Ante la persecución a líderes y lideresas sociales: seguiremos caminando la Paz de Colombia y del continente

In the face of persecution of social leaders: we continue to march for Peace in Colombia and the continent.

Signed by over 120 national and international organisations.

Denunciamos la sistemática persecución del Gobierno colombiano contra el movimiento popular, defensores de derechos humanos, líderes y lideresas sociales y étnicos, expresión del terrorismo de Estado imperante en el país.

We denounce the systematic persecution and State terrorism which the Colombian government is carrying out against popular movements, human rights defenders, community and indigenous leaders, throughout the country.

Colombia: a choice between mining and food?

2016-07-16T08:56:12Z

By Richard Solly

Last month, I represented Colombia Solidarity Campaign on a delegation organised by US organisation Witness for Peace to La Guajira in northern Colombia. We went to visit communities and workers affected by the massive opencast Cerrejón coal mine, owned by London-listed companies Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Glencore.

CERREJON WORKERS ON STRIKE

2016-03-12T07:24:05Z

Workers at Carbones del Cerrejón Limited (*) voted on 7 March 2016 over 98% in favor of a general strike. The workers’ union Sintracarbón states "It has not been the intention of the union to strike, we were confident that the company would understand the just demands of the workers and give a particular procedure and appropriate solution".

The workers’ problems are serious. Their most difficult issue is health. 900 of the mine’s 13,000 workers suffer from illnesses caused by mining activity. They have diseases such as cancer and silicosis, presented mostly by people under 40 years. Neither the company nor the Guajira department can treat due to lack of specialized health centers. The corporation denies the existence of such health problems.

Another issue is increasing workload this year without corresponding wage increase.

Cerrejon’s bosses have sought to deny workers participation in trade union activities, directly affecting the stability of Sintracarbón. This goes against Article 39 of the Constitution of Colombia which enshrines freedom of association workers in unions without state intervention.

The environmental problem facing the population in La Guajira is another union demand. Most rivers in the department are dry because of mining . The workers have called for measures to protect the environment and restore water sources.

Source: Colombia Informa

Berta Cáceres

2016-03-12T07:20:32Z

We condemn the assassination of indigenous activist Berta Cáceres in Honduras, and demand security for witness Gustavo Castro Soto More info at http://movimientom4.org

To Mine or not to Mine, that is the Question

2016-02-06T21:04:05Z

Water or Gold? Colombians to Decide

Andy Higginbottom

In an unprecedented move, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, the newly-elected mayor of Ibagué (Colombia), has announced that a local referendum will be held on mining and related activities within the municipality. The referendum is expected to take place in May, in spite of bitter opposition from the mining lobby.

Residents of Ibagué are concerned that mining projects in the area, including AngloGold Ashanti’s La Colosa project, would result in serious environmental impacts, if allowed to go ahead. Such a referendum (or in Spanish, consulta popular) - in a regional capital of 650,000 people - to debate the fate of large-scale mining, is probably the first of its kind in the world. There is a growing opposition to mining in the region - last June 50,000 people from all walks of life took to the streets of Ibagué in protest.