Families torn apart, charges of kidnap and theft: how plans for a giant mine have sown distrust and unrest in the hills of Jericó

Colombian protesters with a banner outside the court in Jericó, in Colombia’s Antioquia region, during a hearing of the 11 farmers accused of kidnapping, theft and personal injury by AngloGold Ashanti. It reads: ‘Mining is a threat to south-east Antioquia’ Photograph: Euan Wallace/The Guardian

Argiro Tobón, 60, rolls up his sleeves above hands covered in fresh earth. Before him lie the green pastures of Jericó, Colombia, a landscape cultivated by hands like his for generations. “Look at the beauty of this place,” says Tobón, fondly known as “Mister”.

“This is the paradise they want to destroy,” he says. “If we have to go to prison, so be it.”