By Wilber Ruano: RNES

An investigation by MiningWatch Canada reports that the activities of the El Dorado Foundation, originally established by Pacific Rim in El Salvador in 2005, and now run by OCEANAGOLD, violate the rights of the inhabitants of the department of Cabañas.

Researcher Jennifer Moore stressed that mining companies create foundations to disguise their intentions, but basically are just looking to extract riches at the expense of human rights violations of the inhabitants of the area.

Moore also revealed that mayors of a right wing party of the municipality of Cabañas are working with mining companies who are blamed for  the murder of environmentalists in exchange for favors.

"The activities of the foundation are being facilitated by right wing mayors in areas," revealed the researcher.

She added that the El Dorado Foundation provided the current mayor of San Isidro with transportation and flags during the last municipal elections.

Manuel Perez Rocha from the IPS lamented that El Salvador has institutions that support political and economic interests of mining activities.

Rocha recalled that these companies have had the nerve to sue the Salvadoran State before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington where the goverment has already paid $12 million on legal procedures.

Meanwhile Hector Berrios, of the National Roundtable Against Metallic Mining stressed that despite the huge campaign ran by mining companies, environmental organizations continue to fight for the rights of the inhabitants of the communities of Cabañas.

He asked the new Attorney General of the Republic, Douglas Melendez, to investigate the murder of 4 environmentalists.

He also called on the Legislature to definitely ban mining in El Salvador.

In addition, activists gathered during the event condemned the murder of the renowned Indigenous and environmentalist of Honduras, Berta Caceres, who was gunned down on Thursday in the city of La Esperanza, in the western department of Intibucá, Honduras.

Translated from: http://rnes.sv/investigadora-revela-que-partido-de-derecha-colabora-con-empresas-mineras-en-el-departamento-de-cabanas/