Cristina Auerbach

Cristina Auerbach is the director of the Organización Familia Pasta de Conchos – OFPC (Organisation of the families of Pasta de Conchos). The organisation advocates on behalf of local mining families in Coahuila. OFPC was created in 2006, following the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster, caused by an explosion resulting in the death of dozens of miners that were trapped underground. It was established to bring justice to the miners and their families. In 2009 the organisation began documenting cases of human rights abuses linked to the mining activities in Coahuila, particularly the alleged collusion between public officers and businessmen involved in mining in the region and the granting of concessions to extract coal from inhabited areas. In 2015, the OFPC opened an office in Cloete, in the municipality of Sabinas, aimed at providing support to those affected by the open-pit coal mining. Due to the risks Cristina Auerbach faces, the human rights defender was granted protection measures by the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, and she has been accompanied by Peace Brigades International since 2014.