Cerrejón coal mine ruling (Colombia)
On 16 December 2019 Colombia's Constitutional Court protected the rights to health and a healthy environment of the people of the Provincial Indigenous Reserve, a Wayúu community affected by the Cerrejón coal mining project, and ordered limits on coal-dust emissions.
Decision date of 16 December 2019 is given by secondary sources.
Status As of the latest source, December 2025: the Constitutional Court ruling of 16 December 2019 stands; compliance not documented.
- Inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial (Wayúu) — Rights to health and a healthy environment protected by the Court ANLA (Colombia)
What happened
Colombia's Constitutional Court issued Sentencia T-614 of 2019 on the Cerrejón coal mining project. As summarised by ANLA, Colombia's licensing regulator, the Court ordered protection of the fundamental rights to health and a healthy environment of the inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial, a Wayúu reserve.
The ruling is dated 16 December 2019. It ordered limits on coal-dust emissions (PM2.5 and PM10).
The mine is operated by Carbones del Cerrejón Limited, referred to in the sources as part of Glencore. A December 2025 international statement of solidarity reported an armed attack on a Wayuu leader, Misael Socarrás Ipuana, in La Guajira, and defenders of land and the environment there.
- 201916 December: Constitutional Court Sentencia T-614/2019 protects the rights to health and a healthy environment of the Provincial reserve and orders limits on coal-dust (PM2.5/PM10) emissions
- 2025December: international statement reports an armed attack on Wayuu leader Misael Socarrás Ipuana in La Guajira
How it looked
Shown
Recorded
- Sentencia T-614/2019 (16 December 2019): the Constitutional Court protected the rights to health and a healthy environment of the Wayúu reserve at Provincial and ordered limits on coal-dust (PM2.5/PM10) emissions.
- ANLA's summary of the ruling: the Court ordered protection of the fundamental rights to health and a healthy environment of the inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2019-12-16Claimant wonSentencia T-614 de 2019Constitutional Court of Colombia · Civil · Inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial (protected party) →
The Court ordered protection of the fundamental rights to health and a healthy environment of the inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial (a Wayúu reserve) in relation to the Cerrejón mining project, and ordered limits on coal-dust (PM2.5/PM10) emissions. Corte Constitucional de Colombia
Insurers
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record No documented killing linked to Cerrejón was found; threats and a December 2025 armed attack on a Wayuu leader were reported in an international statement, which this record does not link to the company.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Government and regulators
Courts
- Sentencia T-614/19Corte Constitucional de Colombia · 2019-12-16
Communities and civil society
Connected cases
- Village council decisions on Hasdeo coal mine reported irregular India · date not stated Related matter
- Ecopetrol Lizama well blowout (Colombia) Colombia · 2018–2021
- ANLA (National Environmental Licensing Authority) (Public authority) — here: Colombian licensing regulator; there: Licensing regulator that imposed the fine