An unusual trial will begin next week in London’s High Court: the families of two 23-year-old Tanzanian men who were fatally shot in 2019 at a Canadian-owned gold mine in northern Tanzania are bringing a case against the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), an industry body that oversees the London gold market.
Another 30 Tanzanians recently joined the case, while a Canadian court dismissed another lawsuit over the killings, saying it did not have jurisdiction. The families are seeking redress for the LBMA’s decision to certify gold from the mine as “responsible gold.”
Human rights groups have reported for years that police have killed and injured people accused of trespassing and mining at the North Mara mine. Barrick Gold, the mine owner, has acknowledged deaths occurred, but says that the police were not under its control.
Despite the deaths at the site, an Indian-Swiss gold refinery continued to source from the mine until 2024. As an LBMA member, the refinery was audited annually to show compliance with the LBMA’s “Responsible Gold Guidance”—a standard requiring companies to identify and respond to human rights risks in their supply chain. The victims’ families allege that the LBMA wrongly certified the gold from North Mara mine. The LBMA says it does not accept that the “tragic fatalities were caused by, or are connected to, LBMA’s work, role or responsibilities.” The refinery stated it rigorously followed the LBMA Responsible Gold Guidance.
The case points to a wider problem. Industry certification systems often rely on superficial and untransparent audits. A Human Rights Watch investigation in 2023 found that the LBMA certified gold from an Ethiopian mine as “responsible” until 2018 despite serious rights abuses, including severe pollution and health impacts on children and pregnant women. The LBMA responded that the guidance in effect did not include environmental impacts.
While the LBMA recently took a step toward greater transparency – requiring disclosure of suppliers from sensitive “red flag locations” – more robust rules are needed. Governments should adopt laws requiring companies to respect rights in their global supply chains. Certification bodies should drastically improve their auditing, publish audit reports, and require members to fully disclose their supply chains.
In the meantime, the trial could prove crucial for the families seeking justice – and for the gold industry’s practices.
