Jun
Defending Natural Resources
President Funes Condemns the Murder of Cabañas Environmentalist
On June 28th, President Mauricio Funes released a statement condemning the murder of environmental activist Juan Francisco Duran Ayala and reiterating his commitment not to allow any mining projects to start in El Salvador. Since the murder of Juan Francisco, the fourth anti-mining activist to be assassinated, pressure on the Attorney General and President to investigate the crimes and protect community leaders has increased. The plight of anti-mining activists has been receiving more international attention in recent weeks, with articles in the New York Times, BBC and on Democracy Now. The president’s statements came at the same time as Canadian mining company Pacific Rim ran a paid ad in two major Salvadoran papers denying any responsibility for the violence in Cabañas and blaming “radical NGO´s” for the conflict.
In a press conference on June 29th, members of the anti-mining movement reacted to the Funes statement. Ángel Ibarra, president of the environmental organization UNES called the declaration “an important step but not enough to stop mining. Journalist and activist Leonel Herrera agreed, saying “the government should investigate the links between mining company Pacific Rim and the violence in Cabañas and ratify the decision not to permit mining by approving a law that would definitively prohibit mining.”
For coverage of the President´s declaration in the online newspaper Contrapunto click here.
PRESS RELEASE
PRESIDENT FUNES CONDEMS THE MURDER OF AN ENVIORNMENTALIST FROM CABAÑAS AND REAFIRMS HIS OPPOSITION TO MINING
6/28/2011
The President of the Republic, Mauricio Funes, energetically condemned today the murder of Juan Francisco Durán Ayala, a volunteer with the Environmental Committee of Cabañas, which was perpetrated by unknown subjects last July 3rd.
“As President of the Republic I lament any murder that happens in the country, regardless of motives. Of course I feel the pain of the family and the environmental movement in loss of these four leading environmental defenders” expressed President Funes upon condemning the murder of Durán Ayala and the three other environmentalists which have occurred in recent years in the department of Cabañas.
Durán Ayala, 30 years old, was disappeared last June 3rd, one day after, as part of his environmental activism, he was hanging signs about the campaign against mining in the city of Ilobasco.
President Funes said he would ensure the will and the investigative capacity of the Civilian National Police Force, to be able to identify those responsible for the murder and moreover he offered to give “more security to the environmental movement, because its struggles and demands are just.”
“I will not allow any mineral exploitation project in the country, I have said that and it is my official position”, affirmed the Chief of State and he reaffirmed that the Ministry of the Economy has clear instructions not to authorize any mineral exploitation projects in the country.
President Funes pointed out that he is convinced that even when a mining project can bring some jobs and income for the government through taxes, the cost of the environmental impact and the damage to public health is much greater.
“I will not put the public health of the population at risk in exchange for some additional income that we could receive,” the President emphasized.
San Salvador, June 28th, 2011
