Fwd: Maya Land Rights Case to be Heard in International Courts

[AYUSH Adivasi Yuva Shakti]

Save Land Save Tribals! 
Around the world ‘development’ is robbing tribal people of their land, self-sufficiency and pride and leaving them with nothing.

Watch this short, satirical film, which tells the story of how tribal peoples are being destroyed in the name of ‘development’.~https://youtu.be/uFU2iQcFv7U

Advancing Indigenous Peoples'  rights and cultures worldwide   March 2015 Maya Land Rights Case to be Heard in International Courts   The Maya people of Toledo are scheduled for a hearing to reaffirm their land rights case at the regional Caribbean Court of Justice in April of 2015, after almost a decade of back and forth in the national courts in Belize. Their claim to the land has been upheld twice in the Supreme Court, once in 2009 and again in 2013. The government of Belize continues to assert that the land title the Maya hold should not be considered native or Indigenous land title, but merely based on a long period of occupation. However Maya leaders are optimistic about the ruling: "We are of the belief that it is our unity, our long standing customary practices that has sustained us and our humble leadership that yet again we will achieve not only the favors of the court but the minds and hearts of many people. The struggle of the Maya is the struggle of all people," announced Alfonso Cal, President of the assembly of traditional leaders, looking forward to the hearing.     Read more. Three Environmental Defenders Detained in Guatemala   On February 26th, 2015, three community leaders who oppose the building of a hydroelectric dam in Santa Cruz Barillas, Guatemala, were arrested under what community members insist are false charges.   Members of the Q'anjobal Maya community in the Northern Region of Huehuetenango have been repeatedly harassed in recent years by a transnational company looking to develop dams projects without the free, prior and informed consent of local communities, Ecoener Hydro Santa Cruz, a subsidiary of Hidralia Energy in Spain, has conspired to bring charges against these three men since January of 2014.     Read more. Peruvian Indigenous Communities Pleased with Settlement of Pollution Lawsuit Against Occidental Petroleum   By EarthRights International   Indigenous Achuar plaintiffs from the Corrientes River Basin in the Peruvian Amazon released the following statement concerning their lawsuit against Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) for alleged contamination of Achuar communities at a press conference on March 5, 2015 in Lima, Peru:   "The parties are pleased to confirm a mutual settlement of the claims in the litigation. Under the settlement, the terms of which are confidential, Oxy will provide assistance for community development projects for the benefit of these five Achuar communities. All parties are satisfied with the resolution of this dispute."   Read more. Indigenous Women of the World Demand Access to Justice Translated from CHIRAPAQ      More than 50 Indigenous delegates participated in the meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. The meeting, known as CSW59, took place from March 9th to the 20th in New York.   Tarcila Rivera Zea, a Quechuan activist, has denounced that judicial systems in Latin America lack the necessity to receive the complaints of Indigenous women, which violates their fundamental rights and puts them in a situation of extreme vulnerability.   Read more.     New Indigenous Rights Radio Productions Available on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples   Our Indigenous Rights Radio project has been busy producing new radio series on Indigenous Peoples' rights and how they are being implemented around the world. Our programs, designed for broadcast on community radio stations, including Public Service Announcements, interviews, and documentaries about internationally recognized rights and the strategies communities are using to make those rights a reality. In September 2014, for the first time in history the UN held a high leval plenary meeting to discuss Indigenous Peoples. We recorded interviews with leaders from across the world who attended the event, and produced 24 short PSAs on the Outcome Document of the conference that guides countries around the world on how to implement Indigenous Peoples rights.    Listen to the programs in Spanish here, in K'iche here, in Kakchiquel here, in Aymara here, and in Quechua here.  Stay tuned for English programs and translations into many more Indigenous languages. We produced our first radio documentary, in Spanish, on last year's exchange in New Andoas, Peru. The documentary follows the history and present challenges of oil contamination in the Pastaza watershed, along with Indigenous environmental monitoring as a revolutionary strategy to face these challenges. The short interviews complement the long program with information on the health issues the community faces and tactics the oil company employs to try to keep community members from finding oil spills. Listen here.   Your Feedback Is Needed about WCIP   Indigenous Peoples around the world are invited to provide their valuable input in responding a questionnaire on the follow up to the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples 2014 by 6 April 2015 at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WCIP Los Pueblos Indígenas de todas partes del mundo están invitados a proveer sus opiniones respondiendo a un Cuestionario en relación al seguimiento de la Conferencia Mundial De Los Pueblos Indígenas. Fecha límite para respuestas 6 de abril de 2015 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WCIPe     Cultural Survival partners with Indigenous Peoples around the world to defend their lands, languages, and cultures.