GIVE THE GIFT OF
STRUGGLING & WORKING FOR
GLOBAL EQUALITY, JUSTICE & BALANCE WITH MOTHER NATURE

December 12, 2010

Dear friends and supporters:

Thank-you for your commitment and financial support.  Rights Action receives no funds from governments or corporations for the work and struggles that we fund and are involved with; we depend entirely on individual donors and private foundations.

In 2010, we channeled over $675,000 of your donations and grants to community-based groups in Guatemala and Honduras, as well as in El Salvador, Haiti and Chiapas; and, we did extensive education and activism work addressing the underlying, local-to-global causes of poverty, environmental destruction and repression.

Below, we summarize some highlights of the work and struggles we supported and are involved in.  On request, we can send a complete summary and proposal for all the work summarized below.  Write to info@rightsaction.org.

TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION
See below.  Stock & credit card donations can be made (anonymously if desired).

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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2010
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HONDURAS’ PRO-DEMOCRACY, ANTI-MILITARY COUP MOVEMENT
A major focus of our work continues to be support for the amazing pro-democracy movement in Honduras.  Since the June 28, 2009 military-oligarchic coup against the government of President Zelaya, we have channeled over $140,000 to the people’s movement in Honduras.

This struggle, against an illegitimate US- and Canadian-backed regime, continues into 2011 in favor of re-founding the nation and society.  Sadly and predictably, the regime continues to use widespread repression (including assassinations, massacres, torture and beatings) to try and crush the pro-democracy movement.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE
In response to the most devastating and deadly disaster in the history of the Americas – over 300,000 people dead; over 1,000,000 directly harmed -, we channeled over $35,000 of your contributions to community based organizations providing direct relief (food, water, shelter, clothing, medical attention) to surviving victims.  RA does not have an on-going work program in Haiti.  We support and follow the lead of long-time Haitian organizations that we supported after the 2nd military coup against the government of President Aristide in 2004 and the massive tropical storms of 2004/ 2005.

Haiti remains devastated, with no comprehensive solutions on the horizon.  The grassroots movements will need much more support in the coming years, even as fundamental political changes are needed inside Haiti and in the approach of the so-called “international community” that has long been much more of the problem in Haiti than the solution.

TROPICAL STORM AGATHA, Guatemala
In response to Tropical Storm Agatha that resulted in mudslides and overflowing rivers - over 100 Guatemalans were killed; thousands lost their homes; hundreds of thousands lost subsistence crops -, Rights Action channeled over $10,000 to community groups that we worked with after Hurricane Stan devastated Guatemala in 2005, providing direct relief (food, water, shelter, clothing, medical attention).  The groups we support have the capacity to immediately deliver aid, at the same time as they have a long-term vision of community-controlled development and environmental protection – such that a majority of Guatemalans are not left living and surviving in chronic conditions of poverty and vulnerablilty.

MINING & OTHER MEGA-“DEVELOPMENT” PROJECTS *versus*
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
In Honduras and Guatemala, as well as El Salvador, we fund and work with campesino and indigenous communities involved in struggles to remedy environmental and health harms and other human rights violations caused by mining companies and hydro-electric dam projects.  In 2010, we sent over $85,000 to community based partner groups.

These are comprehensive struggles in favour of community-controlled development and the ending of exploitation and poverty, in favour of human and indigenous rights and environmental well-being.

These are struggles against the harms and violations caused by: Goldcorp Inc’s open-pit, cyanide leaching gold mines in Guatemala and Honduras; HudBay Mineral’s nickel mining in Guatemala; Pacific Rim’s desire to mine for gold in El Salvador; the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank’s “Chixoy Dam” project in Guatemala; and more.

MEMORY, TRUTH & JUSTICE FOR STATE REPRESSION & GENOCIDE
Since the early 1990s, courageous Guatemalans have exhumed mass graves and pursued justice for: particular massacres and the genocide; disappearances; political assassinations; torture; etc.  Rights Action continues to fund and support: mass grave exhumations carried out by the FAFG exhumation team; justice for the Rio Negro massacre, the Dos Erres massacre and the 2 genocide cases; the Chixoy dam reparations campaign; the Efrain Bamaca case; etc.

Since the early 90s, most cases have not advanced in Guatemalan courts due to the deeply entrenched phenomena of legal and political impunity.  In late 2009, a crack opened in the wall of impunity.  Human rights and surviving victim groups are again trying to push their cases forward.  In this Program Area in 2010 we channeled over $50,000 to groups working for memory, truth and justice.

REFORESTATION & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Fundamental to any work to end the underlying causes of poverty and exploitation are the creation and recovery of healthy living communities, beginning with the protection and recovery of natural resources, including forests and watershed areas.

After providing emergency relief to people and communities devastated by Hurricane Stan in 2005, we have been funding reforestation and community environmental conservation projects in Mayan communities in the dry corridor (corredor seco) of central and eastern Guatemala.  In 2010, we have channeled more than $60,000 to this Program Area.

NORTH-SOUTH EDUCATION & ACTIVISM
The inequalities and injustices our partner groups are working to address – exploitation and poverty, environmental degradation and harm, military coups, repression – are local to global, north-south issues.  Rights Action focuses most of our education and activism work on how the global north – governments, inter-government agencies and companies, investors and banks – often contribute to and benefit from environmental harms, military coups, repression, exploitation and poverty.

In 2010, Rights Action:

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INFORMATION & ACTIVITIES OF NOTE
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Rights Action has been directly involved in what is set out here, providing funding, human rights accompaniment, technical support, and/or reporting.

CHOC V. HUDBAY MINERALS:
On December 1, a wrongful death lawsuit was announced in Toronto, Canada.  Angelica Choc has sued HudBay Minerals for the killing of her husband Adolfo Ich, a Mayan Qeqchi community leader, teacher and father of 5 who was captured and killed by private security guards working for HudBay, during a protest concerning harms and violations caused by HudBay’s nickel mining interests.  Angelica’s story is reported on in the CTV W5 special “Lost Paradise” (see below).  For more information, contact: info@rightsaction.org and go to: www.chocversushudbay.com.

“LOST PARADISE” DOCUMENTARY FILM:
In April, in Canada, CTV aired a W5 documentary "Lost Paradise" addressing many of the environmental and health harms and human rights violations being caused by Canadian nickel and gold mining companies in Guatemala.  To view: go to www.ctv.ca (and search for W5’s April 17 presentation of “Lost Paradise”), or go to: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100415/w5_paradise_lost_100415/20100417

CHIXOY DAM REPARATIONS CAMPAIGN:
Since 1995, the Mayan-Achi communities harmed and destroyed by the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bacnk-funded Chixoy Hydro-Electric Dam (including the massacres of 440 in the village of Rio Negro) have been seeking reparations from the Guatemalan government, World Bank and Inter-American Development bank.  This has been a long, torturous and courageous struggle.  In mid-2010, the government of Guatemala has agreed to almost all points in contention – that it was responsible and that it owes compensation and reparations to the 32 harmed and damaged Mayan communities, but – as of yet – has still not signed the final agreement to release the compensation and reparation funds and begin work on numerous re-building projects.  This extraordinary struggle, on the part of the Chixoy Dam harmed communities, hangs in the balance.

ORDER TO SUSPEND GOLDCORP’S “MARLIN” MINE IN GUATEMALA”:
The government of Guatemala has said it will abide by a ruling of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and order the suspension of Goldcorp Inc. harmful open-pit, cyanide leaching mine in San Miguel Ixtahucan (San Marcos).

As of yet, Goldcorp Inc. has refused to suspend its mining operation.  As of yet, the government of Guatemala has not complied with the ruling, let alone its own promise.  This extraordinary struggle, on the part of the mining-harmed communities, hangs in the balance.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINT FILED WITH GOVERNMENT OF CANADA CONCERNING NICKEL MINING IN GUATEMALA:
Rights Action and the UNBC (University of Northern British Colombia – Prince George) investigated and reported on the forced evictions and gang rapes of Mayan Qeqchi villagers and women and girls that took place in 2007.  These crimes were committed by Guatemalan soldiers, police and security guards hired by then Skye Resources nickel mining company (now HudBay Minerals).  RA also reported on the September 2009 assassination of Adolfo Ich, a Mayan Qeqchi community leader, by security guards hired by HudBay Minerals.  To date, the government of Canada is refusing to formally investigate these mining-related crimes.

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TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS
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To make a tax-deductible donation for Rights Action’s work, make check payable to "Rights Action" and mail to:

UNITED STATES:  Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
CANADA:  552 - 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8

CREDIT-CARD DONATIONS: http://rightsaction.org/contributions.htm; or go to: www.rightsaction.org.  (Credit card donations can be done anonymously)
FOR DONATION OF STOCK:  contact info@rightsaction.org.  (Stock donations can be done anonymously – have your stockbroker contact info@rightsaction.org)

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Thank-you for your commitment and financial support.  Please send up your questions and comments.

Grahame Russell, 1-860-352-2448, info@rightsaction.org