This joint letter, signed by eighty organizations from Canada, the US, Europe and Guatemala, expresses solidarity with Angélica Choc and all others being attacked, threatened, killed or persecuted in Latin America for defending their land and communities.
Angélica Choc, who was recently targeted with an armed attack on her home, is one of the plaintiffs in a series of lawsuits brought in Canada against HudBay Minerals for negligence in connection with the killing of her husband and other serious human rights violations at the company’s Fénix nickel mine in Guatemala.
The letter expresses deep concern about the rising number of attacks on land and environmental rights defenders throughout Latin America, particularly those who oppose large-scale extractive projects involving multinational companies. It condemns the use of force — political, legal and physical — to impose such projects against the will and without the consent of those affected.