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Protests at Chinese copper mine in Peru continue after local leader freed
by Reuters
Saturday, 30 March 2019 08:00 GMT
Hundreds of protesters have blocked access to the major Las Bambas copper mine over claims they have been denied a fair share of revenues
By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino
CHALLHUAHUACHO, Peru/LIMA March 29 (Reuters) - Peruvian police on Friday freed the leader of an indigenous community that has blocked roads to a major copper mine, but hours later arrested his second-in-command, accusing him of running over police officers while driving drunk.
The release of Gregorio Rojas, the president of the Quechua-speaking community Fuerabamba, had been a key demand of Fuerabamba villagers who have cut off access to Chinese miner MMG Ltd's copper mine Las Bambas, halting its exports.
Police had accused Rojas of belonging to a criminal organization that tried to extort MMG.a But a week after his arrest, Rojas was freed in the capital Lima without charge.
News of Rojas' release, however, failed to quell a protest by Fuerabamba villagers in Challhuahuacho, a highland town where the government declared an emergency earlier on Friday and authorized the military to restore order.
More:
http://news.trust.org/item/20190329225414-tbtep