Statement: The assassination of indigenous defender in Mexico, Samir Flores Soberanes, and the role of european corporations

Gastivists

On February 20, Samir Flores Soberanes, a Náhuatl indigenous activist and community organiser in Morelos, Mexico, was assassinated. We, organisations and collectives, mourn his death and our thoughts are with his family, friends and compañeros.

After numerous threats, Samir Flores was the victim of a political murder to silence his fight against the construction of a gas pipeline and gas power plant, the Proyecto Integral Morelos (PIM). He was part of a broad resistance of campesino movement fighting for water, land, dignity and autonomy.

The Spanish companies Elencor, Abengoa, Enagas and Italian company Bonatti are the promoters and constructors of the project. French company Saint-Gobain is one of the main beneficiaries.

The corporations involved in the project are based in Europe. They are ruthlessly betting on more fossil fuels, disregarding communities, their environment and our global climate on their path to more profit.

We will hold these companies accountable and we ask them to immediately step out of the project until a due process of justice has delivered a credible outcome.

We stand by the communities of Morelos in their demands for justice from the state and federal authorities who have alienated the movement rather than engage in real dialogue. We reject the recent manipulated consultation of the project conducted by the federal government.

We acknowledge that the death of Samir Flores is not an exception. Indigenous defenders in Mexico have been threatened, killed and subjected to violence with increasing regularity over the last years.

There is an urgent need for protection of defenders in Mexico. We reaffirm the responsibility and role of Western and European companies in violating human and indigenous rights and the necessity for our organisations, politicians and activist networks to fight corporate impunity.

SIGNATURES

The Gastivists Collective, noelie@gatsivists.org

Friends of the Earth international – loreto@foei.org

Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity (https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/)

350.org – amelie.canonne@350.org and nicolo@350.org

Friends of the Earth Europe – antoine.simon@foeeurope.org

Coordination Climat Justice Sociale (Genève), elviejo@riseup.net

Leave it in the Ground Initiative LINGO, kjell.kuehne@gmail.com

Ekologistak Martxan, zor.ekologikoa@gmail.com

Climáximo, climaximo@riseup.net

Ecologistas en Acción, internacional@ecologistasenaccion.org

Reclaim the Power, (UK) info@reclaimthepower.org.uk