The Rights Clash by Danielle Marie Mackey - Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics

The Rights Clash by Danielle Marie Mackey - Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics: In response, in 2009, the government placed a temporary moratorium on mining and denied permits to two North American companies. But it soon found out that the cost of protecting its population could be more than $300 million; the mining companies countered by suing, citing investor protection mechanisms written into Salvadoran law and a free trade agreement signed with the U.S. government. In other words, the Salvadoran government is being punished for practicing democracy.