Canada Closed its Doors to Justice for Mariano Abarca
Event Summary
It's been almost 14 years since prominent Mexican environment defender Mariano Abarca was killed while speaking out against a Canadian mine, and his family is still fighting for justice.
Event Details
It’s been almost 14 years since prominent Mexican environment defender Mariano Abarca was killed while speaking out against a Canadian mine and his family is still fighting for justice.
More than 1000 pages of internal memos and emails show that the Canadian Embassy in Mexico chose to support Blackfire Exploration in advancing its “Payback” mining operation despite widespread local opposition – and despite knowing about credible threats to Mariano’s life. While the Canadian government continues to provide major diplomatic support to Canadian mining companies all around the world, Canada refuses to investigate whether the acts and omissions of the Canadian Embassy in Mexico put Mariano’s life in greater danger before his assassination on November 27, 2009.
Mariano’s family and supporters are in Ottawa in June to announce important next steps in their fight for justice. Join us online to hear from:
José Luis Abarca, lawyer and son of Mariano Abarca, about his firsthand experience attempting to use Canada’s whistleblower law to hold the Embassy accountable
Esperanza Salazar, an organizer with the Mexican Network of People Affected by Mining (REMA) about the widespread impacts of Canadian mining investments in Mexico and the ongoing risks posed to environment defenders who speak out
Leah Gardner, a lawyer with the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project (JCAP) about next steps in the Abarca family’s legal battle for justice
The event will be moderated by Viviana Herrera of MiningWatch Canada and Biana Mugyenyi from the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, who will share some brief insights into the role Canadian economic diplomacy plays in promoting mining investment (often at the expense of human rights defenders) and the urgent need for change. The presentations will be followed by a Q&A. It will be in English and Spanish with simultaneous interpretation via Zoom.
Organized by MiningWatch Canada and the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute (CFPI).
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