[Excerpt translation from Spanish to English provided by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

"Las Bambas: final hearing of the defense will be resumed" - February 18, 2020

On Tuesday, February 18, the trial of the 19 defenders criminalized in the case of the social conflict between the local population and the mining company Las Bambas (Apurimac) in September 2015 will resume.

In the case of Javier Mamani and Brandon Quispe the Attorney general has requested a prison sentence of 15 and 17 years, respectively.  In addition, he demands that all the accused pay civil reparations of more than 20,000 soles to the State and more than 80,000 dollars to the mining company.

According to Javier and Brandon's defense, the seizure order of alleged weapons argued against them is completely irregular, it does not have the general legal data of those who intervened, and the prosecutor was not present.  Furthermore, witnesses in the trial have confirmed Brando and Javier's version that they entered the mining company's facilities with the vehicle of the Medical post to assist in the collection of the injured and that they were not allowed to leave afterwards.  The witnesses attest that when they entered the mine's facilities Javier and Brandon were not carrying weapons.

Tomorrow, February 18, NGO Cooperaccion will be reporting, on its virtual platforms, on the development of this hearing.  It is expected that the judge of the Cotabambas sub judicial headquarters will issue an acquittal, which will put an end to a 4 years of waiting for justice.