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Article

17 Jan 2007

Author:
Kelly Patterson, Ottawa Citizen [Canada]

Canadian CEO denies abuses at mine protest - Ecuadoran congressman claims he was beaten at firm's compound [Ecuador]

An Ecuadoran congressman [and indigenous leader] says he was beaten and nearly suffocated to death in the compound of a Canadian mining company in southern Ecuador by armed forces defending the venture. Salvador Quishpe, who was arrested by the military while leading a protest against...Corriente Resources Inc., has launched lawsuits against the armed forces and the police... Soldiers abused other protesters at Corriente's Mirador camp, including a woman who was allegedly bound, sexually assaulted and threatened with rape, according to CEDHU, a human rights group based in...Quito. Corriente CEO Kenneth Shannon cast doubt on the allegations, saying more than 100 company staff were at the compound during the Dec. 2 confrontation, none of whom reported any abuses. Both the military and the company are investigating, he says. Congress requested a government probe in December, but the process was derailed...following the country's recent national election, says Mr. Quishpe, who plans to relaunch the issue... Canadian Senator Sharon Carstairs says the case is being investigated by the human rights committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union... Mr. Shannon says a crowd of about 200 protesters shot at troops who were blocking a bridge to the mine, wounding two soldiers and four civilians trying to defend the camp. "We have no weapons to defend ourselves, so we were relying on the military..." [said Shannon]. Mr. Quishpe strongly denies the protesters were violent... The clash prompted Ecuador's energy and mines ministry to suspend Corriente's operations in the area indefinitely... Mr. Quishpe said environmental concerns and charges that the company had failed to properly consult indigenous peoples affected by the project sparked the protests. Mr. Shannon scoffs at claims that indigenous people were not consulted, saying numerous public meetings have been held over the past two years. He said Corriente passed Ecuador's rigorous environmental assessment process with flying colours last year... Even though the mine is still years away from construction, Corriente has spent about $1 million in community projects...and has earmarked $3 million for other projects in 2007-8.