The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
October 26, 2021

Guatemala Puts Town Under Martial Law as Indigenous Leaders Protest Mining Project
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Guatemala, Indigenous leaders are denouncing the government's
enactment of a month-long, 12-hour curfew and a ban on public gatherings
in the northern coastal town of El Estor in retaliation for protests
against a nickel mining project. Some 500 soldiers have also been
deployed to the region. Indigenous communities say they were never
consulted on plans for the massive mining project, led by the
Swiss-based Solway Investment Group. In recent days Guatemalan police
and military have violently repressed peaceful protests led by Maya
Q'eqchi' Indigenous communities, who say the mine would have
catastrophic impacts on the land, water and people.


.