Mining Company Lawsuit Shows Need for International Law Reform

In a case that once again demonstrates the lack of international legal protections, a civil suit filed against Tahoe Resources Inc. alleges the Vancouver-headquartered mining company is liable for injuries sustained by seven Guatemalan men at a protest in April 2013. The suit, filed in Vancouver this June on behalf of the men, alleges that a private security firm engaged by Tahoe shot protesters at close range and caused serious injuries. Six of the plaintiffs are farmers while the seventh is a local student who was a minor at the time of the incident. Tahoe had received an exploration licence for its Escobal mine near the Guatemalan municipality of San Rafael Las Flores last year.