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Lawyers for seven men allegedly shot during a protest against a Canadian-owned mine in Guatemala were in court Tuesday attempting to overturn a decision staying their lawsuit in B.C.

In November 2015, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Laura Gerow agreed with lawyers for Tahoe Resources Ltd. — a Vancouver-register mining company — that the case would be better heard in the Central American country.

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The plaintiffs, all Guatemalan citizens, had sued the company for damages, claiming they were shot by mine security personnel on April 27, 2013 on a road outside the high-grade silver, gold, lead and zinc mine in southeast Guatemala.

They argued that the case should be heard in a Canadian court because they lacked faith in the Guatemalan legal system to hold the company accountable.

But the judge found that Guatemala was clearly the more appropriate forum for the determination of the issues in dispute and stayed the legal action.