Peru's Cerro de Pasco Mining Pollution Case: UN Experts Urge Respect for Human Rights and Judicial Independence
UN experts have called for full respect for human rights and judicial independence in a constitutional case over mining pollution at Cerro de Pasco in Peru, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on October 28. The case is a constitutional action against the Volcan mining company and its subsidiaries seeking remediation of environmental damage and measures to prevent further harm.
Residents say three decades of mining have caused chronic pollution, with heavy metals detected in water sources and in residents' blood. In the affected community of Paragsha, heavy-metal levels in children exceed World Health Organization reference values.
The experts said they had received information that a scheduled hearing was cancelled at the company's request without explanation, raising concerns about due process, the way business engages with the judiciary, and access to effective remedy.
They urged the judiciary to take international human rights norms into account throughout the proceedings, and called on the company to cooperate fully and transparently and to refrain from any undue influence on the judiciary. The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights had previously engaged with both the Peruvian government and Volcan over the case.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 秘鲁塞罗德帕斯科的露天矿与相邻社区（资料图）。The open-pit mine and neighbouring community at Cerro de Pasco, Peru (file photo). CC BY-SA 3.0，Ottocarotto摄，经Wikimedia Commons / photo by Ottocarotto, via Wikimedia Commons.
