Aura Minerals cyanide waste discharges kill horses and fish in Azacualpa, Honduras

Written By Grahame Russell
Aura Minerals (and MINOSA, its Honduran subsidiary) immediately sent machinery and personnel (May 31, 2021) to remove animals found dead after drinking water from creeks down river from Aura Minerals cyanide treatment pools where they use cyanide and other chemicals to separate the gold off from other minerals and materials. Photo: Azacualpa Environmental Committee

Aura Minerals (and MINOSA, its Honduran subsidiary) immediately sent machinery and personnel (May 31, 2021) to remove animals found dead after drinking water from creeks down river from Aura Minerals cyanide treatment pools where they use cyanide and other chemicals to separate the gold off from other minerals and materials. Photo: Azacualpa Environmental Committee

Such are the operations of the global mining industry in Honduras, supported by the military-backed, corrupt Honduran regime, and the US and Canadian governments. (From 2002-2017, Rights Action regularly published photos (such as these here) from communities and local environments devasted by Goldcorp Inc.’s cyanide-leaching, open-pit mining operations in Honduras and Guatemala.)

Cyanide pollution and death, by Aura Minerals / MINOSA in Honduras
ALERT, by ACI-Participa
https://www.facebook.com/417574361779253/posts/1624871117716232/

To the national and international community, we inform:

This morning (May 31, 2021) we received alarming information from our colleagues in the community of Azacualpa, Municipality of La Union, in the department of Copan, about the death of animals due to the alleged discharge of cyanide by the company Aura Mineral / MINOSA.

Residents of the community of San Miguel alerted their neighbors in the community of Azacualpa about what happened, between 06:00 and 07:00 hours in the morning of that day.

unnamed - 2021-06-04T135306.651.jpg

So far, five (5) dead horses have been found in the community. It is suspected that there were other species of animals that also died in the same situation, but there is still no evidence of this because employees of the company (Aura Minerals / MINOSA) prevented them from accessing the area with threats.

According to the villagers, there was a discharge of cyanide in the community's river, which is located near the Aura Minerals / MINOSA leaching heaps. Thus, the animals drank water from the already contaminated river and died a few moments later, almost immediately.

From ACI Participa, to the local and national authorities, we request protection for the people of the community, their animals and their common goods.

ACI Participa, also to the local and national authorities, requests the unrestricted application of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, particularly with regard to Article 1, 5.a and 12.2.

WE ARE ALL AZACUALPA
ACI-Participa

Mas informacion - Honduras

More information – Canada/US

Background
Azacualpa Environmental Community struggle in defense of land, rights and cemetery:

Films

Updates
Honduran political, human rights issues: https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/honduras_daily

*******


Aura Minerals/MINOSA
info@auraminerals.com / +1 305-239-9332 / www.auraminerals.com

78 SW 7th St, Aura Minerals @ WeWork, Miami, FL 33130, USA
Craigmuir Chambers, PO Box 71, VG1110, British Virgin Islands

Management
Rodrigo Barbosa, President & CEO, rbarbosa@auraminerals.com;
Sergio Castanho, SCastanho@auraminerals.com;
João Kleber Cardoso, kcardoso@auraminerals.com;
Richmond Fenn, rfenn@auraminerals.com;
Monty Reed, mreed@auraminerals.com;

Board
Rodrigo Barbosa, President & CEO, rbarbosa@auraminerals.com;
Stephen Keith, snskeith@gmail.com;
Philip Reade, philip.reade@outlook.com;

Grahame Russell
Previous

No more apologies. Former Residential School should be declared crime scenes Now is a time for justice
Next

Descargas de cianuro por Aura Minerals (MINOSA) matan caballos y peces en Azacualpa, Honduras