Emergency Action: Protect Rights of Anti-Mining Protesters / Ecuador http://mamaradio.blogspot.com/2009/01/emergency-action-protect-rights-of-anti.html

Indigenous organizations and communities affected by mining launched coordinated protests January 20 in nine out of Ecuador's 24 provinces. The protests are in response to passage of a new mining law that favors multinational mining companies and permits large scale mining.Indigenous, environmental and health organizations fear that large scale mining will contaminate and dry up water resources, destroy the natural environment and cause human rights abuses.

Call to Action:Protest leaders are asking international citizens to support them by writing to Ecuador's president Rafael Correa, urging him to guarantee the rights and safety of the protesters, whose numbers are estimated over 10,000 and growing. Please see the press reports below, and send messages to President Correa. Model letters in Spanish and English follow the links.