Walter Castañeda Bustamante
On 15 September 2015, an assassination attempt was made against human rights defenders Messrs Cesar Estrada Chuquilin and Walter Castañeda Bustamante, who were returning to the province of Celedín after participating in an inspection visit at the Conga Lagoons, in the north of the country. The human rights defenders went there to ensure that the Conga Mining Project had not begun operations in the lagoons, as the company has not obtained a licence to operate in the region.
Walter Castañeda Bustamante is a rondero leader from the Celedín province and president of the Comisión Ordinaria de Comunidades Campesinas, Nativas y Rondas Campesina (Ordinary Commission on Local Rural Communities and Peasant Patrols). He has been a strong voice in denouncing human rights abuses committed by Yanacocha – the company that leads the Conga Mining Project – in the region, and was granted precautionary measures by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) in 2014 in light of the pattern of threats and harassment which he experienced in his work to protect human rights.
On 15 September 2015, an assassination attempt was made against human rights defenders Messrs Cesar Estrada Chuquilin and Walter Castañeda Bustamante, who were returning to the province of Celedín after participating in an inspection visit at the Conga Lagoons, in the north of the country. The human rights defenders went there to ensure that the Conga Mining Project had not begun operations in the lagoons, as the company has not obtained a licence to operate in the region.
Both Cesar Estrada Chuquilin and Walter Castañeda Bustamante have been strong voices in denouncing human rights abuses committed by Yanacocha – the company that leads the Conga Mining Project – in the region. Both were granted precautionary measures by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) in 2014 in light of the pattern of threats and harassment which they experienced in their work to protect human rights.
On 15 September 2015, at approximately 3pm, the human rights defenders were ambushed by unidentified gunmen who fired shots and threw rocks at their car. The attack occurred as they were driving back to Celedín following an inspection visit accompanying the Guardians of the Lagoon at the Conga Lagoons, where they assessed the environmental impact of the mining project in the region. The Guardians of the Lagoon have been subject to judicial harassment regarding their opposition to the Conga Mining Project.
During the attack, the rear windshield of the vehicle was destroyed and a bullet lodged in the licence plate of the vehicle. This was fortunate as Cesar Estrada Chuquilin's wife, who was in the back seat of the vehicle, was in the direct line of fire, but escaped uninjured.
It is believed that the attack was carried out by employees of the mining company Yanacocha, following a pattern of ongoing persecution, intimidation and violence against those who oppose the Conga Mining Project. These acts of violence and harassment led to the IACHR's decision on 5 May 2014 to grant precautionary measures to 46 human rights defenders and leaders of the farming communities and the Rondas Campesinas of Cajamarca.
Cesar Estrada Chuquilin has suffered severe persecution and intimidation, having previously been a victim of defamation, harassment, threats, attacks and thefts as a result of his peaceful and legitimate human rights work. He has also been a victim of continuous judicial harassment, including fabricated charges of theft and financial irregularities which are pending against him, and the allegedly kidnap of a Yanacocha businesswoman.
