The complaint was filed by the Association of Artisanal Fishermen, Founders, Shipowners and Stevedores, which brings together 153 fishermen from Ventanilla, a bay and beach north of the capital, who are prevented from working due to the ongoing pollution of those waters from the spill from January 15th.
The appeal was lodged with the National Contact Point of the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, said Christian Berndt, a lawyer for the non-governmental organization Justice and Reparation, which represents the fishermen legally.
The lawyer pointed out that the complaint denounces Repsol before this body because, although it is a transnational company that operates in 25 countries, it has its headquarters in Spain and it is up to the parent company to deal with the problem.
He explained that the aim of the measures taken is for the National Point of Spain to be a channel for dialogue in good faith between the fishermen who were victims of the oil spill, with a view to comprehensive redress for the material and non-material damage caused the fishermen.
The president of the association, Miguel Núñez, criticized Repsol’s behavior, consisting of offers of different amounts, with unacceptable conditions such as individual agreements, without wanting to deal with the organizations of fishermen and traders concerned.
“We will not allow them to despise and humiliate us,” he said, explaining that the lawsuit brought against the Spanish state comes in addition to the precautionary measure brought before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on March 18.
The lawsuit calls on the Peruvian state to take measures to ensure food supplies, access to medical care and drinking water, and the safety of fishermen.
Attorney Berndt, on the other hand, argued that Repsol’s stance was one of transnational corporations’ violations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) guidelines for multilateral corporations.
Following the recent visit by the Spanish Ambassador to Peru, Alejandro Alvargonzález, to Environment Minister Modesto Montoya, during which he represented Repsol, the company announced the second payment of three thousand soles, for a total of six thousand soles ($1,620). according to various complaints does not cover all.
The spill of almost 12,000 barrels of oil, which the company attributes to rough seas while unloading crude oil from a tanker, is disputed by authorities and witnesses to the incident, who accuse the Spanish transnational company of negligence and a lack of foresight of norms.
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