“Human rights situation of indigenous peoples in the context of the activities of the palm oil industry in Guatemala”, 26 Oct 2015

At a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights...petitioners presented their findings on the palm oil industry’s impact on the health, environment, indigenous cultures, and economy in Guatemala. The Petitioners are from rural communities, mostly of indigenous peoples…[A] petitioner…argued that the State never consulted with the indigenous peoples about such projects…[The petitioner] representing women and local communities...noted that children in Guatemala suffer from an increase in infectious diseases and respiratory illnesses, and child and maternal deaths have increased as well…[T]he Petitioner pointed to the death of Rigoberto Lima, who criticized the damage to the local ecosystems of Rio Pasión, an area where pesticides and waste were dumped, killing many species of fish…The Commissioners concluded by asking both the State and the Petitioners to provide a detailed report of their respective findings...

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre previously invited Repsa to response to alleged abuses of the river La Pasión and oil palm plantations; the response is available here.