Panama’s Supreme Court declared a controversial copper mining project in the Latin American country unconstitutional. In a unanimous decision against the Canadian mining company First Quantum, the court suspended the extension of the mining contract, which had generated months of protests from citizens.

The court’s decision gave rise to celebrations by the tens of thousands of protesters who had shut down the country for more than a month over concerns about the long-term environmental impacts of the mine. The protests also called attention to the perceived corruption underlying the mine’s rapid approval process.

The decision marks an important victory for the anti-mining and environmental movement in Panama.