Rights Abuses: Canadian Company and Court Nevsun

rights abuses: Joe Fiorante, one of the lawyers representing the group, said this is the first time foreign claimants have been able to file a lawsuit in Canada against a Canadian company over allegations of human rights abuses that took place abroad. "From the plaintiffs' perspective, it is a big victory," he said in an interview. "For us, this is a green light to proceed with the case on the merits, and this will give our clients the chance to pursue the allegations in court and a chance to vindicate their rights." None of the allegations has been proven in court, according to Vancouver Observer. Nevsun did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a judgment released Thursday, the Supreme Court of British Columbia gave the go-ahead for three refugees to proceed with a civil lawsuit against Nevsun Resources , which owns a controlling interest in the Bisha gold mine in the tiny East African country of Eritrea. Earlier in the day, the company issued a statement saying it studying the decision and is considering filing an appeal. "The judgment makes no findings with respect to the plaintiffs' allegations, including whether any of them were in fact at the Bisha Mine," the statement reads. The judgment dismissed the workers' application to have their allegations heard as a single case, and instructed them instead to file three separate claims. The company said it is confident that its subsidiary operates the mine according to international standards of governance, workplace conditions, health, safety and human rights. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.