IHRC students Amanda Snyder, Amy Askin, and Jaqueline Judson, and Clinic Director Francisco J. Rivera Juaristi travelled to León, Nicaragua, to interview three clients (a doctor, a statistician, and a mechanic) who had been either labor union members or union leaders in Nicaragua’s Health Ministry. The clients were arbitrarily dismissed from their government jobs without due process and in violation of labor laws that protect labor union leaders. After pursuing administrative and judicial remedies, the clients were able to obtain favorable domestic judgments on their behalf. Nevertheless, they have been unable to enforce those judgments. The students also talked with other labor union leaders who expressed that this is a widespread and systematic problem that affects thousands of Nicaraguans. The students will use this information to file a petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
From left to right: Amy Askin, Jacqueline Judson, Amanda Snyder, Dra. Paula Marlene Blandón García, and Francisco Rivera Juaristi
Under the supervision of Clinic Fellow Britton Schwartz and Volunteer Instructor Claudia Josi, three other IHRC students (Katherine Krassilnikoff, Katherine McDonnell, and Justin Hunt) conducted a field mission to Cajamarca, Peru to investigate the human rights implications of Newmont Mining Corporations proposed Conga open-pit gold mine. The hotly contested mine project has been the subject of ongoing social conflict in the Cajamarca area and would become the largest gold mine in Latin America if it goes forward as planned. Although the Peruvian government and the company insist that the mine will benefit the region, affected communities and civil society organizations have mobilized in opposition to the proposed mine and claim that the Peruvian government failed to consult properly with communities near the mine before approving the project. They also allege that the project will cause irreversible damage to the agricultural and tourist economy of the region by destroying critical drinking water sources, including the planned draining of four alpine lakes as part of the mine’s construction.
From left to right: Claudia Josi, Britton Schwartz, Katherine McDonnell, Katherine Krassilnikoff, and Justin Hunt
During the field mission, the students interviewed a variety of involved actors about the impacts of mining in Cajamarca, including officials of the Cajamarca Regional Government, leaders of civil society organizations, Catholic Church officials, and the corporate staff and community beneficiaries of Newmont’s social programs in the Cajamarca area. The Regional Government of Cajamarca issued a press release about the Clinic’s visit, which can be found here. The IHRC expects to publish a full-length human rights report based upon the teams investigation in early 2013.
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