Indigenous peoples are protesting in the province of Bagua, Peru. A 2005 protest by farmers against mining in the province of Piura led to a violent confrontation with police. Photo: ReutersA mining company registered in the United Kingdom has paid compensation to 33 Peruvians who were shot, beaten and tortured by police during a protest by farmers about indigenous rights.
Montericco metals agreed to make payments as part of an agreement to deal with the London law firm Leigh Day Co &, but did not admit responsibility for the clashes in August 2005, which left a man dead.
The line in the Peruvian province of Piura erupted after farmers opposed to mine, fearing that he would pollute the surrounding cloud forests, deplete the rivers and damaging farmland.
Claiming that had been bypassed a consultation process, a group of demonstrators marched to the mine to find the police waiting for them. They claimed that they were detained, Captain with his hands tied, beaten with sticks and whipped cream.
Two demonstrators were shot in his legs, a man lost an eye to gunshot wounds and a farmer called Melanio Garcia, 41, suffered a fatal gunshot wound. Lawyers for the farmers claimed that some of the mine workers and security service providers participated in the mistreatment. Montericco disputed the allegations. The case had been due to come to trial in the High Court in London this October.
A statement issued by Leigh Day Co &, said: "we have not seen any evidence to suggest the company complained about the conduct of the police or investigated mistreatment of demonstrators.
"The case appears to highlight conflicts in Peru and elsewhere between indigenous communities and multinational mining companies. This protest was triggered by the belief of local communities that their concerns regarding the potential environmental impact of the mine were being ignored. "
Richard Meeran, lawyer for the plaintiffs, said: "our clients have suffered ill-treatment deplorable and were denied justice in Peru. This was an exercise extremely costly to Montericco and constitutes a salutary lesson for multinationals in developing countries. "
The mining company was bought by a Chinese Consortium in 2007, but is still incorporated in London. The Guardian contacted Monterrico's corporate headquarters in Hong Kong and the seat of its Peruvian branch in Lima, Rio Blanco copper s.a., for comment. No response had been received at the time of publication.
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