Wednesday, July 21, 2010

International community supports Maya rights

Intercontinental Cry published an article about the affirmation of Maya land in Belize and published a video from the celebration, urging Belize's government to accept the court's decision.

So did First People in an article that quotes Gregory Ch'oc, SATIIM's Executive Director saying: "It is very unfortunate when we have come this far to vindicate our human rights, that the government will challenge these human rights."

These leading indigenous rights organizations agree supporting - together with SATIIM a petition to "Urge Belize to Support Maya Land Rights", which we ask all supporters to sign.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Government of Belize decided to appeal Maya Land case

The Maya of southern Belize recently obtained judicial recognition of communal land titles for 38 villages in the Toledo district, a legal victory with international precedence for all indigenous peoples.
In 2007, Dean Barrow, then an opposition leader, has been outspokenly in favor of Maya communal land rights, but now, as a prime minister, he wants to appeal the recent landmark decision, because, he claims, it is "injurious to the public interest, injurious to national unity and it is injurious to the development of the Maya community" .

Prime Minister Barrow, the Maya children pictured here are waiting for your explanations.
They are confused. They do not understand what you mean. And neither do we...
How can communal land rights be right for some villages (that you supported) but not for the others? Where is logic? And where is justice?