How a Guatemalan murder trial could forever change Canadian overseas mining
How a Guatemalan murder trial could forever change Canadian overseas mining
The murder trial at the centre of a legal battle involving Toronto-based HudBay offers a glimpse of why Ontario courts took the landmark step of hearing a Guatemalan dispute in Canada.
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Angelica Choc reflects at the grave of her husband, anti-mining activist Adolfo Ich. On September 27, 2009, Ich was shot and killed. Mynor Padilla, former head of security at the Guatemalan Nickel Company (CGN), is currently on trial in Guatemala for murder. (James Rodriguez / For the Toronto Star) [/font]
By Marina JimenezForeign Affairs Writer
Mon., June 20, 2016
EL ESTOR, GUATEMALAThe murder trial of Mynor Padilla, a former security guard for a mine owned by a then subsidiary of HudBay Minerals Inc., provides a fascinating glimpse into Guatemalas problematic justice system.
Padilla, 52, is charged with killing Adolfo Ich, a Mayan Qeqchi community leader, and shooting German Chub, a bystander, during a protest on contested land at Fenix nickel mine in El Estor, in eastern Guatemala, on Sept 27, 2009.
These alleged crimes are also at the centre of a series of landmark lawsuits in Ontario Superior Court, where HudBay, a Toronto-based company, faces three negligence claims, launched by Ich, Chub and 12 other Qeqchi.
The cases are being watched closely by Canadas mining companies, as it is the first time lawyers are attempting to hold a Canadian company liable for actions of a subsidiary operating overseas.
More:
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/06/20/how-a-guatemalan-murder-trial-could-forever-change-canadian-overseas-mining.html