Last week, four men were abducted by armed men on the way home from a public referendum on the proposed Escobal mine  operating in Guatemala. One of the men, Exactación Marcos, was later found dead.

The men were leaders of the Xinca indigenous community which has been vocally objecting to the development of the new Escobal mine owned by Tahoe Resources, which in turn is partially owned by Canadian mining giant, Goldcorp. This mine would decimate the land and poison and deplete the waters that the local community depend on for their livelihood.

For the past 14 months, the Guatemalan government has been deliberating over whether or not to approve this mine. Sunday’s tragedy highlights what’s at stake here -- human lives versus massive corporate profits. Our allies think a global outcry now, in the wake of the tragedy, could be enough to finally pressure the Guatemalan government to stop this mine once and for all.

Tell the Guatemalan government to keep Goldcorp and Tahoe out of the country.

Goldcorp is the second largest gold mining company in the world, and has one of the worst reputations for human rights abuse in a very dirty industry. Guatemalans are familiar with environmental and human rights violations at Goldcorp’s Marlin mine. By rejecting the exploration license for the Escobal mine, the Guatemalan government can tell the world that it will not make the same mistake twice.

It is clear that the communities around the proposed Escobal mine do not want the company to extract. In the referendum the men were returning from, 99.2% voted against the project. In two prior public referenda, communities neighbouring the proposed Escobal mine have voted 97% and 93% respectively against it. There are over 200 pending complaints filed against the project in that must be resolved prior to granting the extraction license.

Ask Guatemalan government to respect its citizens and reject Tahoe’s extraction license.

Human rights abuses are rampant at Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine.

“... they put a machete to my neck... my grandson cried, that is what saved my life,” testified a Guatemalan citizen that refused to sell land to Goldcorp for the Marlin mine. Tests show nearby residents already have elevated levels of heavy metal contaminants in their blood and urine.

The international community has spoken out against the Marlin mine. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had asked the Guatemalan government to suspend mining at the Marlin mine due to its threat to environmental health and human rights. Independent reports like the one by the United Nations -- and even one commissioned by Goldcorp itself -- found the mine violates international conventions on Indigenous rights.

It is much easier to stop a mine before it starts. It’s time for the Guatemalan government to ask itself: “Hasn’t Goldcorp and its investments done enough damage in Guatemala?”

Take action to stop Goldcorp and Tahoe from causing more human rights abuses in Guatemala.