Associated Press
Guatemala Mayan community argues before human rights court
Lawyers for an Indigenous community in eastern Guatemala made arguments before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights Wednesday in a case that could have far-reaching implications for Indigenous communities throughout the Americas. The community of Agua Caliente, one of 16 Maya Q’eqchi’ communities in the El Estor municipality, is demanding that the Guatemalan government give them title to their land and the right to determine how its natural resources are exploited. “This case brings to the court, for the first time, a chance to rule on whether governments should act to recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, as a principle of public international law,” said Leonardo Crippa, an attorney with the Indian Law Resource Center and one of those representing the community, in a statement.
