Óscar Ontiveros Martínez worked in the Media Luna mine, owned by Torex Gold Resources, in Guerrero, Mexico. He pushed for labour rights to be improved in the mine and was a key part of the strike which finished in 2018.
Ontiveros was killed on 12th May 2020 by a criminal group in the region. His family and co-workers insist that he was killed due to his activism.
Ontiveros’s relatives have stated their belief that “the murder of Oscar Ontiveros was for political-labour reasons and in repression for his activism in the Media Luna mining company, as he was a key organiser of the work stoppage in November 2017.” Ontiveros was one of the workers subsequently fired by the managers of the mining company after the strike ended in early 2018.
According to the family the same paramilitary group was the one which murdered Quintin Salgado in January 2018, another activist opposed to the mining company who led a work stoppage to demand union independence and respect for the rights of tenant farmers.
“This armed group has positioned itself in the Rio Balsas area and supports the activities of the Media Luna mining company because they are paid to control the stoppages and any sign of community organisation.”
In January 2018, brothers Victor and Marcelino Sahuanitla Peña, who worked for the mine and had taken part in strikes were also shot dead.
