14 December 2010 | Interviews | Extractive industries
A Prison to Silence Him
Peruvian Public Prosecutor´s Office recommends a sentence of 13 years for opponent to mining project
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Mario Tabra Guerrero is a member of the Environment, Life and Agriculture Defense Front, an organization based in Piura, Peru. He is one of the main leaders of the struggle against the Rio Blanco Mining Project of Majaz, that threatens Ayabaca and Huancabamba communities.
According to CONACAMI (the National Confederation of Communities Affected by Mining), his struggles could cost him up to thirteen years in prison, since the public prosecutor´s office accused him of causing injuries to a police officer.
“This measure is a clear sign of the persecution suffered by community leaders”, reads a declaration issued by CONACAMI.
The prosecutor´s office is only taking into account the statements by Captain Hector Vera Revollar, who accused the environmentalist of attacking police officers.
Tabra Guerrero stated that this is not the first time the authorities try to imprison him for his opposition to extractive industries. In addition to several claims brought against him in 2006 and 2007, the Peruvian activist remembered that in 2008, over 35 people were accused of “terrorism” after a community consultation was carried out on the convenience of a mining project.
“The communities and municipalities of the Northern region of Peru have democratically expressed their rejection to the Rio Blanco mining project (…) But despite this rejection, and the illegality of the presence of the Rio Blanco mining company in Yanta and Segunda y Cajas peasant communities, the Peruvian government continues supporting the mining project unconditionally”, denounced CONACAMI in a letter to express solidarity with Tabra Guerrero.
