Residents of two quilombos in Bahia have obtained a judicial injunction in the United Kingdom to prevent British mining companies from continuing what the communities of Bocaina and Mocó, in the municipality of Piatã (BA), call intimidation.
The iron ore companies Brazil Iron Limited (BIL) and Brazil Iron Trading Limited (BITL), registered in the European country, are also accused of causing disturbances due to pollution generated by dust from the mine, noise from machinery, and explosions. Residents claim to suffer structural, physical, and psychological damage.
The quilombolas say they were approached by employees of the Brazilian subsidiary of the British companies after they started contesting the impacts of the operations in court. The goal would be to force them to drop the legal proceedings. The British court ruled that the mining companies must prevent their employees from contacting the quilombolas. The injunction is valid until the next hearing of the case, which is expected to take place in mid-2024. Brazil Iron Mineração, the subsidiary in Brazil, denies the accusations and accuses the law firm leading the action in London of bad faith. In Brazil, the company is also the subject of a Public Civil Action. Since November, the activities of the mining company have been halted in the region due to suspicions of irregularities.