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Factsheets

The Anti-Nuclear Movement in Switzerland

Summary Switzerland adopted commercial nuclear power in 1969 and has a total of five operational nuclear reactors. These are located in four plants that supply 36.4% of Switzerland’s energy. While reactor …

Forced Displacements in Colombia: the case of Chocó

1. Introduction The armed conflict that has been ravaging Colombia for decades has caused millions of victims, among whom are people who have been tortured, murdered, disappeared, exiled or internally displaced. …

The Persecution and Violation of Human Rights of Environmental Defenders

1. Background In the framework of the United Nations “Human rights defender” is a term used to describe people who, individually or with others, act to promote or protect human rights. …

The Dyncorp Case in Colombia

1. Factual background Under its 1999 ‘Plan Colombia’, the Colombian Government under former President Andrés Pastrana developed a counter-narcotics strategy that focused on the chemical eradication of illegal coca and poppy …

The Vedanta Case in India

1. Synthesis of the main facts The Vedanta Case concerns a proposal to develop an open cast bauxite mine on the upper reaches of the Niyamgiri hills in Orissa, India. According …

The Trafigura Case

1. Factual background In the Probo Koala incident, more recently also known as the Trafigura case, toxic and dangerous waste products belonging to Trafigura –one of the world’s leading oil trading …

Climate change responsibilities in polar peoples: the Inuit Case

1. Factual background Climate change is already occurring in the Arctic and could be devastating for the Inuit. In fact, its effects are already noticeable. Anumber of life-altering changes have taken …

The Yanacocha Mine Case

1. Introduction: The Yanacocha mine The Yanacocha gold mine is located in Northern Peru, at an altitude between 3500 and 4000m, near the city of Cajamarca (35 km). It is considered …

The Texaco-Chevron Case in Ecuador

1. Factual background Texaco-Gulf operated in Ecuador for almost thirty years, between 1964 and 1992, in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. The Ecuadorian state’s original concession to the Texaco-Gulf consortium included 1,500,000 …

The Shell Case in Nigeria

1. Factual background The land tenure and access to resources have always been the source of numerous conflicts, often violent, in the Niger Delta. The colonial administration did not alter the traditional …