 This prompted Nobel Laureate Adolfo Perez Esquivel to write the governor a letter reminding him of the population’s right to protest and warning him against the use of repression.On January 30, 2012, the Osisko Mining Corporation announced that they would suspend exploration activities due to “community protests and media reports and requests.”

In a press release, Osisko denied claims of a “mega-mining” project, and explained that the project is not a mining project, but an exploration project at this point.The press release stated