Statement by the Maya Leaders Alliance
May 11th, 2016. Punta Gorda Town, Toledo – Eleven months after militarized police officers stormed the village of Santa Cruz and the homes of Santa Cruz villagers and arrested 13 leaders; today, the Chief Magistrate accepted a submission from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for yet another adjournment. Among those being prosecuted is renowned spokesperson for the Maya Leaders Alliance and defender of Maya rights, Cristina Coc. These charges stem from the trespassing, destruction of property, and disorderly conduct by Rupert Myles - a non-resident of Santa Cruz village.
Today’s adjournment makes for the seventh adjournment requested by the prosecution, and the 9th overall, putting on hold the lives of 11 families, left to bear the emotional and economic costs of a prolonged trial. The Santa Cruz 13 have taken painstaking efforts to consistently present themselves at each trial date, while the complainant, Mr. Myles, has repeatedly failed to appear. Counsel for the Santa Cruz 13 asked the court to exercise its authority under the law to dismiss the case because the prosecution is not ready. Instead, granted the adjournment until June 27th 2016, allowing the Director of Public Prosecution time to acquire more evidence.
The Maya people impressed upon the judicial system to ensure that the law is applied in a just and fair manner. We continue to call upon the Government of Belize to respect the rights of the Maya people of southern Belize, and to ensure that indigenous rights defenders are protected. We remind the government that it dragged the Maya people through the courts for two decades, in an effort to deny Maya people’s rights to ancestral lands. This ongoing criminalization of leaders is tantamount to yet again dragging Maya subsistence farmers and activists through the courts, essentially continuing to deny them rights affirmed by the Caribbean Court of Justice.
We call upon the international community, especially the 15th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues happening this week in New York City, to continue to follow the lives of Indigenous Maya leaders who defend their lands, waters and way of life. Customary Maya leaders are being criminalized and persecuted by the government despite the affirmation on the right of Maya people to their ancestral territory and resources.
