• 10 years have passed since the unpunished murder of Ismael Solorio and Manuela Solís.
• The “Mag Silver” mining company continues to harass and attack ejido members, with the support of the Chihuahua State Government.
• We call for the intervention of the Federal Government to resolve the underlying problem.

Ejido Benito Juárez, municipality of Buenaventura, Chih., October 22, 2022.- Today marks the 10th anniversary of the cowardly and still unpunished murder of Ismael Solorio and Manuela Solís, who in their last months of life led a fight against the overexploitation of water in the Río del Carmen Hydrological Basin, as well as against the installation of the “El Cascabel” mine, belonging to Canadian mining company “Mag Silver” in the Benito Juárez Ejido.

Exactly 10 years ago, the couple of defenders of water and the environment, were murdered while traveling on the highway from Ciudad Cuauhtémoc to Álvaro Obregón, in the state of Chihuahua, just a few days after having met with the Secretary General of the Government asking for protection.

This year, like so many others, we have come together to demand justice, but now we are doing while being persecuted, as the administration led by María Eugenia Campos  Galván, through the State Prosecutor’s Office, reactivated the criminal complaint filed by the Canadian mining company against members of the Benito Juárez ejido for evicting the mine, after the mine failed to abide by the assembly resolution that decided to expel them from the ejido territory.

We call on the Federal Government to urgently intervene to enforce the law that has been the basis of the underlying conflict regarding illegal over-exploitation and the termination of the mining concession and, in this way, to stop the persecution of those who defend water and the environment, to fully resolve this fight that has been ongoing for more than 10 years and has cost the lives of Ismael and Manuela.

It is inadmissible that after the crimes committed, the State Government continues to benefit private companies and take actions that maintain and aggravate social conflicts.

Justice!