News from Lori's Parents
29 September 2004
In this update:- Lori speaks out in solidarity with protest against mining company
- San Jose court dates not yet announced
Lori speaks out in solidarity with protest against mining company
Lori's article, "The Cajamarca Protest: Standing Up to Exploitation and Injustice," was published today in the zine CounterPunch (www.counterpunch.org). Two weeks ago, a major article in the New York Times on Newmont Mines, parent of Peru's Yanacocha Mining Company, criticized its horrendous record of contamination and pollution at various locations throughout the globe.
The state-wide protest by the people of Cajamarca that Lori writes about paralyzed the region for two weeks. When Mark was in Cajamarca in early August he observed a protest in the main plaza of more than 1,000 persons of all ages. One month later, that protest in the main plaza was said to have reached perhaps 40,000 persons. The protests affected the whole region, including Lori's prison.
The issue Lori speaks of is among the most important facing us today. Global environmental neglect and global injustice caused by large and powerful companies concerned mainly, if not only, with profit and greed rather than displaying a vision for the future and a mandate for social responsibility is a major universal problem and detrimental to the welfare of mankind.
San Jose court dates not yet announced
The dates for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' final session of the year have not been announced. The Peruvian press reports that the session will occur from mid to late November, but we have no confirmation of those dates or whether or not Lori's case will be decided at that time - although we certainly hope so!