International Tribunal Accuses the Mexican State of violating Human Rights with the Mayan Train 

Photo: Cuartoscuro

Members of the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature demand a halt to the process of dispossession and expropriation of ejido land from the communities and a review of the entire process of land alienation.

Cancun, Quintana Roo – The International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature holds the Mexican State responsible for the violation of individual and collective human rights, the rights of nature and the biocultural rights of the Mayan people.

It also warns that there is sufficient documentation confirming the violation of all social and environmental protection tools. In view of this, it demands the immediate suspension of the project and demands an independent interdisciplinary and intercultural audit, which includes the affected populations.

This was announced by members of the tribunal, which held the hearing of the Tren Maya case in Valladolid, Yucatan, where arguments were presented by communities affected by the passage of this railroad project.

Another of the rulings was to demand the repair and restoration of those ecosystems damaged and impacted by the route of the Mayan Train, which include natural systems as well as communal lands.

They also demand a halt to the process of dispossession and expropriation of ejido land from the communities and the review of the entire process of land alienation.

“We demand the immediate demilitarization of the territory and we make an urgent call to the state, to all human rights organizations in Mexico and to regional and international organizations such as the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, to guarantee the lives of all those who question the Mayan train and the projects connected to it,” according to another point of the court’s verdict.

Among the violations of international rights detected by the members of the tribunal is Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which indicates that the best way to deal with environmental issues is with the participation of interested citizens, which they claim was not complied with in the case of the Mayan Train.

They also allege violation of Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization, article 2 and article 6 on the consultation of interested peoples through appropriate procedures, among others.

Jorge Fernández Mendiburu, academic graduate of the Universidad Autónoma de México, commented that the verdict of this hearing is preliminary since there will be a final verdict that will be elaborated by the plenary of judges of the international organization.

The content of the verdict was summarized by a member of the Free Me from the Train Movement, who shared the excerpt with other members of the movement and representatives of the press.

The International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature is an institution created by citizens to investigate and publicize violations of the rights of Nature.

It defines itself as a forum for people from all over the world to speak on behalf of nature, to protest the destruction of the earth and to make conflicts and their actors visible, as well as to make legal recommendations on the protection and restoration of the earth as model jurisprudence for grassroots communities.

This article was published in El Economista. on March 12, 2023. https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/estados/Tribunal-internacional-acusa-al-Estado-mexicano-de-violar-los-derechos-humanos-con-Tren-Maya-20230312-0024.html English translation by Schools for Chiapas.

Impacts of Tren Maya Will be Denounced in Tribunal on the Rights of Nature

Devastation of the rich biodiversity of the Campeche, Yucatan, Merida, Chiapas and Quintana Roo have followed the construction of the Mayan Train. Photo: Desinformémonos

Mexico City | Desinformémonos. Mayan communities of the Yucatan Peninsula will denounce the abuses and violations of their rights as peoples and the environment caused by the imposition of the Mayan Train at the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature, which will be held on March 11 in Valladolid, Merida.

The Tribunal’s objective is to contribute to the defense of the ecosystems and communities in Mexico “that are in grave danger of destruction due to the advance of the mega-project called the Maya Train,” through the testimonies of those affected, experts, and ethical judges of the International Tribunal.

The Secretary General of the Tribunal recalled that the verdicts are a “necessary tool in the struggle for environmental justice,” as well as compensating for “the failure and inaction of the State to do justice.”

The International Tribunal is an institution created by citizens to investigate and publicize violations of the rights of nature around the world. During the hearings, peoples and communities speak “in the name of Nature” to protest the destruction of the environment, “fomented by corporations with the blessing of governments,” thereby making visible the conflicts and their actors and making legal recommendations on the protection and restoration of the Earth as model jurisprudence for grassroots communities.

Below is the full communiqué:

Valladolid, 24th of February, 2023

Communities of the Mayan Peninsula of Yucatan: 

Presente
Please receive a cordial greeting from the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature, an international institution created by citizens to investigate and make known the violations of the rights of nature around the world. The Tribunal creates a forum in which people of the world may speak out in the name of Nature in order to protest the destruction of the Earth – destruction fomented by companies with the blessing of governments – as such, the Tribunal makes visible the conflicts and their actors and makes legal recommendations on the protection and restoration of the Earth as model jurisprudence for grassroots communities. The Tribunal also focuses on supporting indigenous peoples to raise their voices and share the impacts they see on their territories as stewards of the Earth.

The Tribunal’s verdicts could provide a necessary tool in the fight for environmental justice. The International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature, a civil ethics tribunal inspired by the International War Crimes Tribunal, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal and other such popular efforts to compensate for the failure and inaction of the State to deliver justice now calls on the United Nations – and nations in general – to take up the work it has been doing for years and defend the fundamental rights of Nature.

On this occasion, the Tribunal convenes to contribute to the defense of ecosystems and communities in Mexico that are in grave danger of destruction due to the advance of the mega-project known as the Mayan Train.

In this context we would like to invite you to participate in the International Tribunal on the Rights of Nature in the face of the Mayan Train, a hearing that will take place on Saturday, March 11, 2023 in the city of Valladolid at the  School of Ecological Agriculture U Yits Ka ‘an in Valladolid, and which will feature the testimony of communities and organizations affected by the Train, experts on relevant issues and judges of the International Tribunal.

We hereby invite the communities of the Mayan Peninsula of Yucatan to bring written testimony to the hearing on March 11 about the situation of the defenders of Nature, emphasizing the impact of the Tren May megaproject in their communities and how it affects their rights and those of Nature. This testimony will be presented before a panel of ethical judges comprised of: Father Raul Vera (Mexico), Yaku Perez (Ecuador), Maristella Svampa (Argentina), Alberto Saldamando (Chicano), Antonio Elizalde (Chile) and Ailton Krenak (Brazil).

We look forward to your participation, please confirm your attendance at 9911068632 or at the following e-mail address asambleamaya@gmail.com

Natalia Green
Secretary General
International Tribunal on the Rights of Nature

This article was published in Desinformémonos on February 27th, 2023. https://desinformemonos.org/denunciaran-impactos-del-tren-maya-en-tribunal-de-los-derechos-de-la-naturaleza/
English Translation by Schools for Chiapas.

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