A ruling on an oil project reasserts the indigenous’ right to consultation...On July 25th the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that Ecuador’s government had ignored the rights of Sarayaku’s residents when granting permission for an energy project—putting governments in the Americas on notice that big physical investments are not legal until the indigenous people they affect have had their say...The court found that the state had breached the villagers’ rights to prior consultation, communal property and cultural identity by approving the project, and that CGC’s [Compañía General de Combustibles (part of Southern Copper)] tests had threatened their right to life. [refers to Petroecuador]