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Last Update: July 16, 2008
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- Paper Pulp Mills - Uruguay
- Corporate Accountability and Human Rights
- Climate Change and Human Rights
Hundreds Invade Uruguay to Protest Botnia Pulp Mill
Argentine-Uruguayan Border September 3, 2007 – Hundreds of Argentine and Uruguayan community stakeholders, crossed in caravan yesterday into Uruguayan territory over the international bridge, which has been blocked for 10 months but opened to allow for community stakeholders to come in droves to protest against a mega sized Finnish pulp mill in construction by Oy Metsa Botnia .
Uruguayan authorities, in what has been denounced a violation of the American Convention and constitutional rights, violated basic rights of freedom of expression , confiscating materials such as signs, shirts, and others that expressed opposition to the cellulose investment project. Even medical masks used by stakeholders to symbolize the foul odor Botnia will spew from its chimneys, were confiscated. Four days earlier, the Uruguayan government had already impeded Argentine journalists from participating in the inauguration of Botnia’s port at Nueva Palmira, some 100 kilometers south of the plant site.
Over 2000 people and more than 600 vehicles attempted the border crossing over the otherwise desolate bridge, but only 250 or so cars made it through with 850 people, who were later joined by several hundred Uruguayans across the border. Uruguayan authorities braced themselves, for what some labeled “an invasion”, with over 500 police and military forces, expecting violence and confrontation with community groups. Stakeholders were searched, questioned, and forced to leave everything at the border, before being escorted to the established secured zone cordoned off by military. Reports indicted that Botnia’s own tied up rolls of eucalyptus trees were dug into the ground to impede the community from reaching the factory.
All materials that could be deemed “anti-Botnia” were confiscated. Stakeholders denounce that this is the same “see-no evil, hear no evil” policy the Uruguayan government, the Finnish company Botnia and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank have promoted since the beginning, impeding community from expressing their opposition to what they deem (along with the Argentine government) is an illegal investment and a violation of human rights. Company sponsors thought the protests would end as the plant reached operational mode, but “ he problem is not going away and will only get bigger and bigger”, stated local community assembly members speaking on behalf of stakeholders.
Stakeholders will denounce these incidents before the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States, an expansion of the international complaint filed just days ago before the same body, when Uruguay prohibited Argentine journalists from covering Botnia’s port inauguration at Nueva Palmira. Several incidents have been reported of journalists, both Uruguayan and Argentine, that have been attacked in Uruguay for covering the evolution of the Botnia project.
Oy Metsa Botnia , who claims their project is environmentally sound, refused to halt construction of their mill when requested to do so by the Argentine and Uruguayan presidents. That led to a complaint filed by Argentina at the International Court of Justice, which has ruled that it may decide to order a dismantling of the mill. In a rush to construct its mill before the ICJ can rule, BOTNIA’s CEO Erkki Varis flew to Uruguay and defiantly declared that construction will go on, accelerating timetables to completion.
This acceleration resulted in sloppy safety controls and a foreseeable increase in worker accidents, including serious injury, limb amputations, and death. Erkki Varis’ personal decision to ignore the growing conflict and defy the presidential request to cease construction, has also spawned the worlds largest ever socio-environmental movement, drawing on three occasions, 50,000, 120,000, and 130,000 peaceful community protestors against Oy Metsa Botnia. This was the first time community groups marched cross the border. Botnia expects to begin production this month.
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Cel: 54 116 182 3172
