Peruvian Police Violently Evict Activists from Las Bambas Mine

During an operation carried out on Wednesday, the National Police injured three people and arrested eleven citizens who were protesting against the Chinese company MMG in the Las Bambas copper mine, in the southern highlands of Peru.

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The authorities reported that 676 police officers from the Apurimac region participated in the "recovery" of the invaded properties of the Las Bambas mining company, which extracts 2 percent of the copper used in the world.

Two women and a worker who were injured were taken to the Challhuahuacho health center, a town that is located at an altitude of 4,000 meters near the site.

Among the detained citizens is Raul Cabrera, a journalist from the newspaper La República who was covering the eviction of the people of the Fuerabamba community. His camera, mobile phone, and his documents were unjustifiably seized by the police.

The tweet reads, “'The Las Bambas mining company and the Government will be responsible for the injuries and possible deaths,' said a social leader in Fuerabamba."

Previously, President Pedro Castillo's administration declared a "State of Emergency" for the Police and the Armed Forces to assume full control of the districts of Challhuahuacho and Coyllurqui, in the province of Cotabambas.This declaration implies the suspension of constitutional rights related to free assembly, free mobility, and the inviolability of the home.

On April 14, people from the Fuerabamba community occupied land belonging to the Chinese company to denounce the breach of commitments acquired by Las Bambas since it began operating in 2016. Among other things, they demand payment of mining easement rights and compensations for environmental, social and cultural impacts.

Their protest prompted a stoppage of mining activities since April 20, which causes the Peruvian state a loss of US$1.4 million per day, according to local media.