Real World Radio interviewed Vinicio Lopez of the Pastoral Commission on Peace and Ecology (COPAE) of San Marcos department. He said there is no doubt that the attack suffered by Teodora is linked with the long-standing resistance to extractive industries in that part of the country.

He explained that the assailants went to Teodora’s home asking for two cups of coffee, a very common practice in the Guatemalan altiplano. She was shot when she was about to give the coffee to the men.

“Impunity is commonplace in Guatemala, especially as a result of environmental and human rights violations”, said Lopez. He was not very confident that a legal action would actually find anyone responsible for this incident. He said in this Central American country, the rule of law provides “categories of people” and justice is not impartial.

He mentioned that the transnational corporation operating Marlin mine is from Canada – although it also owns stocks from Swedish, Irish and Norwegian pension funds – and it has systematically aimed to divide the local population, the mine workers and the affected communities.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (ICHR) ordered the closing down of Marlin mine, and now the communities are waiting for Alvaro Colom’s administration to comply with that recommendation, so that the closure of the mine is final and not just a temporary resolution.