TerraJusta is a new organisation launched in April 2020, in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic. Those who have followed The Democracy Center will know that TerraJusta evolved out of work we had been developing there for many years on issues of extractivism, support for resistance struggles, climate justice and corporate power.

Our team is made up of people living between Bolivia, Ireland and the UK, most of whom worked together for many years at The Democracy Center. We are happy to (finally!) launch a newsletter for the organisation, and we welcome all our readers (please note that it is available in both Spanish and English). We look forward to continuing to share our work with all of you, and to fighting together for a better world.

"Through international campaigns and our research and communication work, TerraJusta accompanies and supports organizations and communities that fight for social, economic and environmental justice, especially those facing extractive projects in Latin America."

Covid and Mining

2020 has been a difficult year for people because of the Covid 19 pandemic. With much of the economy coming to a halt many families have been affected. However, while mining activity was also halted initially, it was later controversially declared as an 'essential activity' in some countries and is now being looked to as the engine of post-covid recovery.  TerraJusta worked with a network of international allies this year to produce a report on how the global mining industry is benefiting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have also jointly explored how we can support communities affected by mining in Latin America, particularly those that are also vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic because of lack of access to water and basic sanitation - victims of a precarious economy and deficient health systems, among other things. We have participated in two international crowdfunders, together with activists from Ireland, the UK and the US, to raise funds for the indigenous Wayúu communities in La Guajira, Colombia.

From the Peruvian "mining corridor", to London

Much of our work during 2020 has been focused on the Andean South of Peru. This region contains the so-called "Mining Corridor", an area where there are several copper deposits and mines, and where the roads used to transport the mineral produced to export hubs are located. There are many conflicts in the region and over the years several communities and populations have mobilized denouncing the impacts of mining on the environment and their health. The response of the Peruvian state is generally repressive, and human rights violations have been frequently reported. Cases of criminalization of social protest have likewise arisen as a result of these conflicts.

Criminalization of protest - In September 2020 we launched a video on Defense of Territory and Criminalization of Protest, which illustrates the dynamics of corporate mining activity in the Andean South of Peru. The video highlights the cases of Glencore in Espinar, Southern Corporation in Arequipa, and Bear Creek in Puno. Actors involved in community struggles in these regions expose the power dynamics at work, including violence by the state and criminalization of social protest. We have been following the Bear Creek case - known as the 'Aymarazo' - since 2017, highlighting the criminalisation of Aymara indigenous communities, including social leader Walter Aduviri, who subsequently became Governor of Puno. In December the Peruvian Supreme Court finally dropped the charges against Aduviri and he has recently been released from prison.

Glencore in Espinar - One of the most important mining operations in the area is the Antapaccay mine, located in the province of Espinar, in Cuzco. The mine is operated by the Swiss-based company Glencore, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. We have been following the case since 2017, and more recently coordinating campaign activity with allies in Peru, and in Switzerland where the company's headquarters are located. Between July and August 2020, the local population mobilised demanding that funds from mining be allocated to pay an economic bonus to alleviate the economic crisis the population is experiencing as a result of the pandemic. The government responded with repression. TerraJusta has produced two reports illustrating the nature of the conflict, one of which was picked up by the Business and Human Rights platform. Just recently in November - after 8 years of legal proceedings - Oscar Mollohuanca, Sergio Huamaní and Herbert Huamán, former leaders in the Espinar struggle, were declared innocent. But the structural problems persist.

Anglo American - As members of London Mining Network, this year we began investigations into the Quellaveco mining project, located in the department of Moquegua. It is an important copper project whose main shareholder is the British multinational Anglo American. Together with other members of LMN, we collected information about the project and sent questions to the company's AGM - held behind closed doors in May - on issues related to water, conflict and the management of Covid 19 at Quellaveco. We received ambiguous and imprecise responses, so we prepared and published a critique of the company. After the AGM, we organised, together with LMN, a virtual assembly of communities and local organisations affected by Anglo American projects in Latin America, which we will be reporting on more in the coming months.

BHP - Another company whose AGM took place in London in October is BHP, which operates the Antamina mine in Peru. In coordination with other LMN members, we submitted questions related to concerns over water. The objective of bringing questions to company AGMs is to make the company accountable for what they do in the territories.

Glencore is an important partner of BHP in the Antamina project. Both companies, together with Anglo American, also own Cerrejón, Latin America's most significant coal mine, located in La Guajira, Colombia - a case on which we have also reported.

TerraJusta collaborates with a range of local, regional and international allies and networks. We not only prepare reports and videos of complaints about companies in the territories, but we also seek to link ourselves to the work of local organisations that address the problems first-hand. It is a principle that will continue to define our work in 2021.

As well as our membership of London Mining Network, TerraJusta is also part of the Global Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power and the international movement promoting the construction of a binding treaty on Human Rights and Multinational Corporations. As part of that work, at the end of last year we launched the video “Rights for the People, Rules for Corporations”, in collaboration with Global Justice Now and London Mining Network, with the aim of supporting the campaign for the Treaty. We have also supported efforts to end impunity in the case of Chevron in Ecuador, and on the international #Antichevron day, together with local organisations of affected people and international networks. We are also part of the International Allies, a coalition that works in solidarity with communities and organisations resisting mining in El Salvador and Central America.

Events

Working the Earth: In response to their current exhibition 'Earthworks' by Semiconductor, TerraJusta Director Leny Olivera Rojas took part in a filmed discussion with Fabrica Gallery in Brighton, UK, to be premiered on Friday December 18th. Along with Dr Louise Purbrick and Alice Owen from University of Brighton they discussed the 'Anthropocene' from a feminist viewpoint - critiquing the ‘extractive’ behaviours that characterise this recent phase of geological history and considering alternative ways of "working the earth".

From our allies

Coming soon from TerraJusta

We are new and this Newsletter is new. If you are interested in our work and wondering how you can support us, the most important thing we would ask right now is that you add yourself - and encourage friends to add themselves - to our mailing list. And feel free to get in touch, including to tell us how we could improve our newsletter ...