Five years after the murder of Mariano Abarca Roblero, an opponent of the mining operations of the Canadian company Blackfire Exploration Ltd, his family, and numerous organizations, including the Mexican Network of Communities Affected by Mining (REMA), have called on ministers in both Canada and Mexico, and the President of Mexico for justice.
Roblero had been active against the mining operations of Blackfire in Mexico, and was killed on November 27, 2009.
Days after his death, a demonstration was held in front of the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City held by the Mexican Network of Communities Affected by Mining (REMA). At the demonstration activist Bety Cariño spoke of Mariano “and the larger Indigenous struggle for land, for water, and for life, forcefully and eloquently” (see video here). Three months later, she herself was killed, along with Finnish human rights observer Jyri Jaakola.
The letter to the President of Mexico, is also addressed to a number of Canadian ministers, including the Minister of Justice Peter Mackay, the Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, and International Trade Minister Ed Fast, as well as the Canadian Ambassador to Mexico, Sara Hradecky.
The letter calls not only for “both Mexican and Canadian authorities to ensure that justice is served with respect to the death of Mr. Mariano Abarca Roblero” but also calls on “Canada to put an immediate end to its so-called ‘economic diplomacy’ policy that dedicates 100% of the efforts of the Canadian diplomatic corps to serve private interests. Instead, Canada should be enforcing a policy that respects Indigenous and human rights, in particular those who are defending their territories and the environment.”
More information:
Comunicado: A 5 años del asesinato de Mariano Abarca Roblero por su resistencia contra la minería canadiense en Chiapas (in Spanish) – here
Five Years After Mariano Abarca Was Murdered for his Resistance Against Blackfire Exploration, We Demand Justice! (English version of REMA letter) – here
Mining Watch Canada/United Steelworkers report – Corruption, Murder and Canadian Mining in Mexico: The Case of Blackfire Exploration and the Canadian Embassy May, 2013 (pdf) – here
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Video featuring activist Bety Cariño, below:
Video featuring interview with Mariano Abarca Roblero:
Video interview with Mariano Abarca Roblero before his death.
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