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Article

3 May 2019

Author:
News Review (USA)

Guatemala: Reno Foundation sues the government in attempt to reopen gold mine, owned by Kappes, Cassiday and Associates, allegedly linked to human rights abuses

“Gold mining and violence”, 2nd May 2019

A trustee of the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation is suing the Guatemalan government for $300 million dollars. It’s a backdoor move to force Guatemala to reopen a controversial gold mine owned by Reno-based mining corporation Kappes, Cassiday and Associates (KCA). Nevadans learned about the overwhelming opposition to the mine when members of the La Puya peaceful resistance came to Reno in 2013 and 2016 to denounce UNR Foundation Trustee and KCA President and CEO Daniel W. Kappes for pushing ahead a project that puts their health and environment at risk. Guatemalan courts ordered the mine suspended in 2016 because the government failed to consult with indigenous peoples before operations started…Kappes and KCA say this violated their rights as investors. Yet it is their gold mine…that has been the focal point of numerous abuses against locals. A Guatemalan court ruled that KCA’s subsidiary built the mine without obtaining a proper construction license. Kappes is under criminal investigation for continuing mining operations after the court ordered them suspended. Meanwhile, Guatemalans who peacefully oppose the project have faced violence, repression and criminalization. In 2012, a La Puya leader was shot on her way home from the protest camp. In 2014, unarmed residents were violently evicted by riot police and tear gas…