Seven First Nation leaders sit in jail for peacefully protesting mining activities on their traditional lands in the boreal forests of Ontario, Canada. For peacefully asserting their rights and preventing mining company officials from accessing their lands, these Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) leaders, – known as the KI Six — were sentenced to six months in prison. The KI Six were sentenced just weeks after Ardoch Algonquin First Nation spokesperson Robert Lovelace began serving a six-month sentence for similar charges.
The 1,200 strong KI community of hunters, fishers, and trappers is opposed to mining activities on their traditional lands in Northern Ontario., Canadian company Platinex Inc. believes their lands contain one of the world’s largest platinum deposits.
Please write to the Ontario government today and demand the immediate release of these political prisoners. The government needs to see an overwhelming outpouring of public support.Your voice can help convince Ontario that this heavy-handed approach is unacceptable—and that the free, prior and informed consent of local communities is an essential pre-requisite to mining.