On October 15^th the Mesa was recognized internationally for their human rights work. Five representatives from the Mesa traveled to Washington D.C to receive the prestigious Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award from the Institute for Policy Studies. The award was presented by Congressman Michael Michaud, who has been a supportive ally of human rights work in El Salvador and a leader in legislative work calling for revisions of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Following the event the members of the Mesa visited over 12 cities in the U.S and Canada and met with Congressional Representatives, Ministers of Parliament, students, union organizers, Salvadorans living abroad, among others.  The over a dozen organizations who organized the tour are all continuing to work together against mining in El Salvador, in 2010 and beyond.

Award Ceremony in San Salvador

While there is still repression, intimidation and violence, the Mesa, in coordination with of the communities, continues to organize, educate and advocate about mining. They see their role as supporting the government in confronting the law suits, trying to bring justice to the Marcelo Rivera and Ramiro Rivera cases and continuing to education communities about the dangers of mining. 

Last Thursday, December 10, the National Coalition against Mining in El Salvador (Mesa), a roundtable of social organizations, NGOs and communities affected by mining, of which CRIPDES is a part, was recognized by the Salvadoran Government's Human Rights Office for its work in the struggle against mining. The award was given in honor of the sixty-first anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Mesa, along with Radio Victoria, received awards for connecting the anti-mining struggle to human rights and the environment.

Anti-Mining March

The Mesa had a very busy week, as on Wednesday, they organized a march from the Presidential Offices to the Canadian Embassy. Over 2,000 participated in the march, including community leaders from Chalatenango, Cabañas, and other regions of the country, who gave testimony about the affects of mining and restated their refusal to allow mining exploitation in El Salvador.

The goal of the march was to both express support for the Salvadoran government's decision to not allow mining exploitation, and to put pressure on the Canadian Embassy, which has been known to have lobbied Salvadoran officials and local leaders in favor of mining. While the Canadian Ambassador did not come close to the crowd, the participants hope that she heard and understood the message exemplified by banners that: “We Will Defend our Natural Resources. We Say No to Mineral Mining.