Guatemala Violated Indigenous Rights, Court Rules

Landmark verdict orders Guatemala to award land title to Indigenous community and set up a development fund.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that Guatemala violated Indigenous rights by permitting a huge nickel mine on tribal land almost two decades ago.
The Guatemalan government violated the rights of the Indigenous Q’eqchi’ people to property and consultation, by permitting mining on land where members of the community have lived at least since the 1800s.
Guatemala will have six months to begin the process of awarding a land title to the community, and was ordered to set up a development fund.
Leaked documents in 2022 appeared to show staff from the mine company attempting to divide the community by bribing some locals to testify in court in favor of the mine.
The Fenix mine is unlikely to be the last conflict between international mines offering clean energy minerals and Indigenous communities. A study published last year calculated that over half of existing and planned critical mineral mines sit on or near Indigenous land.