Dear friends,
Just after we sent out the last newsletter, a terrible massacre occurred at Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) in India. Police shot down unarmed protesters against a copper smelter owned by Sterlite, a subsidiary of notorious London-listed company Vedanta. There was a huge protest in London. Vedanta, controlled by Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal, listed on the London Stock Exchange as a source of kudos as well as cash, but the listing also makes it vulnerable. The company’s response to the massacre was utterly inadequate, and widely condemned in the press. The courage and determination of the protesters ensured that the smelter has been shut down, but vigilance will be needed to ensure that Vedanta is unable to reopen this polluting plant. Persecution of the company’s opponents continues. The UK government is being urged to de-list Vedanta from the London Stock Exchange. Meanwhile, elsewhere in India, the company continues to face opposition to its attempts to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills, and its iron ore operations in Goa have been shut down by a court.
London-listed miner and commodities trader Glencore continues to face legal challenges over its operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a new mining law is also causing it problems. It is being attacked by mine workers’ unions for its behaviour both in the DRC and in Zambia.
In South Africa, one of the Lonmin mine workers accused of murder over the killings at Marikana in 2012 has been acquitted. The company wanting to buy Lonmin, Sibanye-Stillwater, has been accused of being responsible for nearly half of deadly mine accidents in the country.
Rio Tinto is planning to withdraw from its involvement in Freeport’s Grasberg mine in Indonesian-controlled West Papua but this may not shield it from the continuing controversy over the appalling impacts of the mine’s dumping of waste directly into the local river system. It is also under fire for the inadequacies of the closure plan of the Ranger uranium mine in Australia and its involvement with BHP in exploration around the Escondida copper mine in Chile (this article is in Spanish, but there is a very brief summary below).
BHP is said to be close to a settlement with prosecutors in Brazil over the Samarco tailings dam disaster, but it is also being told in no uncertain terms to stay out of Ecuador.
Elsewhere in Latin America, the charitable foundations run by Cerrejon Coal (owned by Anglo American, BHP and Glencore) in Colombia are accused of being a ‘front’ tied to a long history of displacement, violence and death. Antofagasta continues to face criticism for the impacts of its copper mines in Chile.
London-listed Berkeley Energia’s planned uranium mine in Spain faces resistance from a growing movement of local people. Thousands rallied recently to make clear their objections. In London, Berkeley Energia is moving its listing from the scarcely-regulated Alternative Investment Market (AIM) to the under-regulated main London Stock Exchange (LSE). LMN wrote to the LSE to object.
LMN member group Eritrea Focus has published a report about mining and human rights violations in Eritrea, making clear the UK investment connections.
Finally, a report from Front Line Defenders shows that the majority of killings of human rights defenders in 2017 were related to mega-projects in mining and other extractive industries; and our friends at the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre point out that a huge proportion of human rights abuses in extractive industries are associated with companies based in OECD countries, including the UK.
And there’s plenty more news below.
All the best,
Richard Solly, LMN Co-ordinator.
In this mailout
Take Action!
Urgent: Write to the Secretary of State asking him to stop Bradley opencast
Events
Fourth World Action presents Gadi Lohardaga Mail
Banks and Human Rights Today
Corporate News
1) Mining and repression in Eritrea – UK connections
2) Resistance to London-listed Berkeley Energia’s planned uranium mining in Spain
3) Antofagasta AGM 2018: Half-answers to very few questions
4) US-China trade spat wipes $57B from top mining stocks in fortnight
5) UK government endorses strong anti-corruption rules for oil and mining firms
6) UK pension funds get green light to dump fossil fuel investment
7) The Russian Magnate, ‘Goldfinger’ and Ex-Army Chief Discussing Siberian Gold Mine Deals With Arron Banks
8) Past and possible future at Marikana
9) New York-based equity fund buys Ireland-focused Dalradian for Cdn$537m
10) Sirius Minerals soars after securing supply deal for Nigerian market
11) Death and Displacement: A USAID Export
12) Update on Gabriel Resources in Romania
13) News involving BHP
14) Rio Tinto and the Grasberg mine
15) Kakadu uranium mine closure planning ignores impact on Jabiru township
16) Glencore in the news
17) News about Vedanta
Other news
- Almost 200 organisations call on UN Member States to engage in constructive negotiations on binding treaty on business & human rights
- Almost everything you know about e-waste is wrong
- The shocking danger of mountaintop removal — and why it must end
- Human Rights and Mining Guidance document sponsored by UNDP and Swedish EPA
- Front Line Defenders’ new report says majority of human rights defenders killings in 2017 were related to mega projects in extractive industry
- Impact of OECD-headquartered companies on human rights defenders
- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reports on improving accountability & access to remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuse
Take Action!
Urgent: Write to the Secretary of State asking him to stop Bradley opencast
Can you help the Campaign to Protect Pont Valley? We are asking that you email James Brokenshire, the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government and ask him to stop the Bradley opencast.
Events
Fourth World Action presents Gadi Lohardaga Mail
Saturday 21 July at 6.15 pm at the Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge CB5 8BA
A short prize winning film film about a historic train journey featuring the traditional songs of the people of Jharkand, India followed by ‘If the trees could speak’ a storytelling performance by Kerima Mohideen which weaves together a feminist re-telling of the Indian Epic, the Ramayana, with the true story of a woman human rights defender set against the backdrop of the Dandaka Forest and the forest people`s resistance to large mining projects on their land.
Entrance is by donation. Tickets at the door or book at Eventbrite link
Please contact Manan Ganguly at infoindiamattersuk@gmail.com or Kerima Mohideen at Kerima06@btinternet.com
Banks and Human Rights Today
Monday 9 July, Herbert Smith Freehills, Exchange House, Primrose St, London, EC2A 2EG
Organised by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
Marking ten years since the global financial crisis, a new book: “Necessary Evil: How to Fix Finance by Saving Human Rights” by Professor David Kinley investigates the impact the financial system has on human rights.
Corporate News
1) Mining and repression in Eritrea – UK connections
Mining and Repression in Eritrea: corporate complicity in human rights abuses
London Mining Network member group Eritrea Focus has just published a report, Mining and Repression in Eritrea: corporate complicity in human rights abuses. The document, which is the first of its kind, pulls together information in the public domain to highlight the extent to which international investors, including UK-based institutions, are involved in the extractive sector in Eritrea. This is concerning, especially in light of the UK Government’s strong position on modern slavery.
Nevsun extends life of its Bisha mine in Eritrea until the end of 2022
Canada’s Nevsun Resources is extending the life of its flagship copper-zinc Bisha mine in Eritrea to the end of 2022 — 18 months later than the planned end of operations announced by the company last year.
2) Resistance to London-listed Berkeley Energia’s planned uranium mining in Spain
Berkeley Energia uranium mining project in Spain: the EU’s only new uranium mine?
Berkeley Energia’s planned uranium mine in Retortillo, Spain, faces resistance from a growing movement of local people and allies from Portugal to France. Richard Harkinson from the London Mining Network assesses the Australian-incorporated, London-listed company’s attempt to open the European Union’s only open-cast uranium mine.
Open letter on Berkeley’s impending move to London Stock Exchange
London Mining Network recently wrote to the London Stock Exchange requesting that Berkeley Energia not be allowed to move its listing from AIM (London’s Alternative Investment Market) to the main LSE.
Thousands protest against uranium mine in Spain
Spanish media are reporting that between 3,000 and 5,000 people hailing from different cities in Spain, as well as from Portugal and France, rallied in Salamanca to express their rejection to a uranium mine being built in the Retortillo municipality.
3) Antofagasta AGM 2018: Half-answers to very few questions
Report on the Antofagasta AGM, London, Wednesday 23 May 2018
4) US-China trade spat wipes $57B from top mining stocks in fortnight
Anglo, BHP, Glencore and Rio Tinto have all suffered.
5) UK government endorses strong anti-corruption rules for oil and mining firms
The UK government has endorsed a strong anti-corruption law for oil and mining companies.
6) UK pension funds get green light to dump fossil fuel investments
Government directive means trustees will be able to push harder for green investments
7) The Russian Magnate, ‘Goldfinger’ and Ex-Army Chief Discussing Siberian Gold Mine Deals With Arron Banks
Millionaire businessman Arron Banks, a major donor of the Leave.EU Brexit campaign, has come under the spotlight again. This time, Russian gold is also involved.
8) Past and possible future at Marikana
Found not guilty by court, Marikana activist warns of cops pursuing ‘political agendas’
Marikana activist Napoleon Webster was found not guilty of murder after prosecutors accepted they didn’t have a case. He spent 202 days in prison and now wants to hold the NPA and police accountable for what he believes were politically motivated charges.
Almost half of deadly mine accidents in South Africa happened at Sibanye-Stillwater sites: Minister
Sibanye-Stillwater wants to take over Lonmin, the company associated with the Marikana massacre.
9) New York-based equity fund buys Ireland-focused Dalradian for Cdn$537m
Shares in dual-listed Dalradian Resources soared around 52% in London and more than 59% in Toronto on Thursday after the company, which is developing a vast gold deposit in Northern Ireland, said it had agreed to be bought by Orion Mine Finance, in a deal that values the gold explorer at Cdn$537 million (about $230m).
10) Sirius Minerals soars after securing supply deal for Nigerian market
Shares in Sirius Minerals, the British company building a huge polyhalite mine beneath a national park, were off to the races on Wednesday after it announced it had secured a major seven-year African supply deal.
11) Death and Displacement: A USAID Export
USAID has funded the Cerrejón Foundation, the charitable arm of the Cerrejón mine in Caribbean Colombia, to the tune of millions. A months-long investigation reveals its community development projects are a front tied to a long history of displacement, violence, and death. Cerrejon is owned by Anglo American, BHP and Glencore – all listed on the London Stock Exchange.
12) Update on Gabriel Resources in Romania
Romania says Gabriel Resources $4.4bn lawsuit over halted project can’t be heard by arbitrators
Gabriel Resources lawsuit against Romania for $4.4 billion in alleged losses related to the company’s stalled Rosia Montana gold and silver project, suffered a setback this week as the country told international arbitrators they can’t hear the Canadian miner’s claim.
Results of Gabriel’s lawsuit against Romania may be known late 2019
Gabriel Resources will have to wait until late next year to find out whether Romania will have to pay it $4.4 billion in alleged losses related to the company’s Rosia Montana gold and silver project, which the government of that country refused to approve following relentless protests.
13) News involving BHP
Samarco is said to be nearing settlement with Brazil prosecutors
After a year of back and forth, the owners of the Samarco iron-ore mine are close to signing a definitive settlement with Brazilian prosecutors that will clear the way for restart preparations and debt talks to begin, people briefed on the matter said. Bonds jumped.
Intag: Why BHP Billiton should leave a region famous for stopping destructive mines
Cloud forests, endangered species and the clear opposition of communities that have already successfully stopped two international mining companies. There are many reasons why BHP Billiton should abandon its plans to explore for copper in Intag, Ecuador.
Indigenous communities protest against exploration round BHP/Rio Tinto Escondida Mine in Chile
The Indigenous Community of Belén, in the region of Arica y Parinacota, Chile, has protested against mining exploration around the Escondida Mine. (Article is in Spanish.)
14) Rio Tinto and the Grasberg mine
Rio Tinto negotiates Grasberg copper exit
Global miner Rio Tinto confirmed it was in discussions to sell its interest in the world’s second largest copper mine to Indonesia’s state mining holding company Inalum.
Distraction or disaster? Freeport’s giant Indonesian mine haunted by audit report
A state audit of operations at Indonesia’s Grasberg mine has cast a cloud over the government’s multi-billion-dollar deal to take a majority stake in the mine from Freeport McMoRan Inc and its partner Rio Tinto, according to government and company officials.
Giant Waste-Spewing Mine Turns Into a Battleground in Indonesia
Every year, Freeport-McMoRan Inc dumps tens of millions of tons of mining waste into the Ajkwa River system in Indonesia. The company has been doing it for decades, and is demanding the right to keep at it for decades to come.
15) Kakadu uranium mine closure planning ignores impact on Jabiru township
Rio Tinto subsidiary ERA’s Ranger mine, which ceases operations in 2021, releases plan for rehabilitation, but fails to mention town of 1,000
16) Glencore in the news
Glencore faces third Congo legal challenge this year
Congolese-American businessman and convicted fraudster Charles Brown has brought back a lawsuit against Glencore the company considered dead, becoming the third court challenge the mining and commodities giant faces this year for control of its DRC mines.
Congo’s miners face harsh new reality as mining law finalized
After six months of lobbying, companies including Glencore Plc and Randgold Resources Ltd. have got nowhere in their battle to push back against the mining law, which voids existing agreements and increases their costs. Congo approved the final part of the bill on Friday, and despite earlier indications from President Joseph Kabila that the rules might be eased, the law hasn’t been weakened in any way.
Glencore settles legal row with former partner over Congo royalties
Miner and commodities trader Glencore has settled a potentially damaging legal row with former business partner in Democratic Republic of Congo, Dan Gertler, by agreeing to pay royalties he is owed from copper and cobalt mines.
DRC unions close ranks against Glencore
Four IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), OTUC, CSC, TUMEC, and UNTC met at the Immaculata Convent, Kolwezi on 25 May, to discuss how they can build solidarity and work together against Glencore’s trampling of workers’ rights at Mutanda Mine and Kamoto Copper Mine (KCC), and to improve working conditions and win fair wages for the mineworkers.
Glencore must account for unreported deaths at its Zambia mines
IndustriALL Global Union is questioning Glencore’s reporting on fatalities at its Zambia mining operations.
17) News about Vedanta
At least 17 citizens mowed down by police in Tamil Nadu
They were protesting against the Vedanta copper plant.
Bloody police killings of civil protestors against Vedanta’s copper operations
Further deaths are now reported
Tuticorin: a byword for terror unleashed in India
At least 13 – and possibly 17 – people were shot dead by police marksmen, as they joined with thousands of others protesting, for the most part peacefully, against the highly polluting operations of a copper smelter owned by Sterlite, a subsidiary of the UK-listed Vedanta corporation.
London protests condemn Thoothukudi Vedanta Massacre; Demand action in India and the UK
An angry protest took place on 26 May at the Indian High Commission in London. The people were condemning the police firing which killed at least 13 unarmed protesters at an environmental demonstration against British company Vedanta Resources’ copper smelter in Thoothukudi (Tuticorin), Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. There was a strong call from all groups present today to delist Vedanta from the London Stock Exchange, while Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell also sent a statement demanding that Vedanta is de-listed as a ‘rogue corporation’.
National Alliance of People’s Movements condemns killings of anti-Sterilite protesters
On 22 May, nine people were killed in Tuticorin, Southern India, during protests demanding closure of a Sterlite copper plant over pollution concerns.
UK Government Urged to Take Action Against London-Listed Vedanta Resources After Protesters Killed in India
The UK Government has been urged to take action after a British mining and energy giant was accused of extensive human rights abuse and environmental damage in India.
Pressure in London
While being listed on the London Stock Exchange provides Vedanta Resources with what has been described as a “cloak of respectability”, London has also created major vulnerabilities for the company.
Graphic news story of the shootings in Tuticorin
Pictorial account of the massacre drawn by Indian cartoonist Satwik Gade and colleague.
“Yes, Mr Agarwal, business does need to be kept from politics”
Terror at Tuticorin and Vedanta’s response
Vedanta in India: a rogue enterprise let loose!
Within days of the Tuticorin ‘massacre’, as it’s being described by local people, the absence of any adequate response to the tragedy by London-listed Vedanta is being critiqued – to the point of lambast – by leading journals, in both India and the United Kingdom.
‘The martyrs did it’: bloody end to Indian copper plant saga
Yet another British newspaper has come out with an expose of Vedanta’s role in creating the storm of opposition by thousands of citizens, which led to a murderous response by police at Tuticorin.
Opposition leader “expunged” in Tamil Nadu
This article asserts that the recent killings in Tuticorin were designed by the state government to re-inforce Vedanta/Sterlite’s copper operations in Tamil Nadu.
Vedanta – serial offender at large
The Tuticorin killings are proof that the Indian legal regime is “unprepared to address the environmental damage that is being inflicted under the garb of industrialisation and development”, according to an India scholar from Cambridge University in the UK.
Vedanta faces another Sterlite-like crisis in Orissa
Weeks after the Tamil Nadu government ordered the shutting down of the Sterlite plant in Tuticorin through a government order, Vedanta faces another challenge in Orissa.
Vedanta mulls options for Indian iron ore workers after shutdown-sources
Vedanta Resources is considering options including lay-offs for some of the 2,000 employees of its iron ore business in southwest India that was shut down by a court, two sources said, as it struggles with a series of setbacks in the country.
Other news
Almost 200 organisations call on UN Member States to engage in constructive negotiations on binding treaty on business & human rights
Letter to United Nations’ Member States. Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on a Legally Binding Instrument on TNCs and OBEs with respect to human rights- OEIGWG “, 5 June 2018
Almost everything you know about e-waste is wrong
Waste arises ubiquitously, but unevenly, throughout the lives of electronics, not only when users discard their devices. No amount of post-consumer recycling can recoup the waste generated before consumers purchase their devices.
The shocking danger of mountaintop removal — and why it must end
Research investigator Michael Hendryx studies mountaintop removal, an explosive type of surface coal mining used in Appalachia that comes with unexpected health hazards. In this data-packed talk, Hendryx presents his research and tells the story of the pushback he’s received from the coal industry, advocating for the ethical obligation scientists have to speak the truth.
Human Rights and Mining Guidance document sponsored by UNDP and Swedish EPA
Guidance offered to government bodies, Indigenous organisations and NGOs.
Front Line Defenders’ new report says majority of human rights defenders killings in 2017 were related to mega projects in extractive industry
Report created by HRD Memorial Network and Edited by Frontline Defenders, Published on 20 June 2018
Impact of OECD-headquartered companies on human rights defenders
Companies headquartered in OECD countries are associated with many human rights abuses. See Business and Human Rights database.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reports on improving accountability & access to remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuse
This report provides analysis and clarification of the relationship between human rights due diligence, as described in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and determinations of corporate liability.