3 February 2010
Barrick response to evidence of human rights violations wholly inadequate: Amnesty International calls on Canadian government to act – Media Release
Canadian-based Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) has failed to live up to the human rights standards articulated in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, says Amnesty International.
Barrick, whose subsidiaries operate the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea through the Porgera Joint Venture (PJV), responded to the release of Amnesty International’s report on police violence and human rights abuses around the Porgera mine by saying that PJV will continue to accommodate the police operation within the minesite. This is despite commitments on paper that make the support of PJV to the police operation conditional on respect for international standards, including the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, which have been developed to promote respect for human rights.
“Promises did not protect the people living in Wuangima from forced evictions and police abuse,” says Shanta Martin, Amnesty International’s mining and human rights specialist. “PJV should cease its support for the Papua New Guinea police responsible for the human rights violations and demand the government initiate an independent investigation aimed at seeking justice for the victims.”
Contrary to initial statements from the company in May 2009, Barrick admitted to Amnesty International in December 2009 that the police did evict people and that there is a need for an independent investigation. Yet neither Barrick nor PJV has urged the authorities to launch an enquiry.
“It’s also simply not good enough for the companies to point to the complexity of law and order problems. The people who were illegally evicted from Wuangima deserve justice,” says Shanta Martin.
Amnesty International has written to the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper urging the Canadian government to strongly recommend to Barrick that it, and its subsidiaries, fully implement the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and demonstrate respect for human rights across their global operations.
For further information, please contact:
John Tackaberry, Media Relations
613-744-7667, ext. 236
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