Mayan land rights lawsuit starts in Supreme Court
“There is no political will by the Government to address land tenure and security of the Mayan communities.” That was the testimony of Greg Ch’oc this afternoon as the lawsuit filed by the villagers of Conejo and Santa Cruz against the Government of Belize began today in the Supreme Court. Ch’oc was the last witness to testify and he broke down in tears as he told Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh, “the Mayan leaders have done so much and yet we have gotten so little in return.” Ch’oc, who is acting as a spokesperson for the villagers, maintains that the Maya do not want to balkanize the Toledo district; they only want space to practice traditional land use. Other witnesses included alcaldes from the disgruntled communities and speaking through an interpreter, asked the court to recognise their rights to land under the constitution. Following her testimony, Director of the Julian Cho Society, Cristina Coc, contended that this case is about not a particular group, it’s about social justice for all.
Cristina Coc, Director, Julian Cho Society
“It’s definitely a historic moment, we are very happy to be here and we are very happy to finally have our time in court. Of course it’s been a very anxious moment for us because this will decide the fate of the lands in Toledo for the indigenous Maya of Toledo. We are very hopeful. I think that we have presented before the court a very strong case. I think that we have clearly told our stories and we have told everything that is true to our knowledge about our traditional way of life and our ties to the land that we call our home.”
“So we are asking for traditional ways of using the land to be incorporated into our systems and we are asking that they stop imposing one system to fit every single culture.”
Janelle Chanona
“And what if the court rules against that tradition, how does your reality change?”
Cristina Coc
“Our reality is constantly changing; being in court is a major step for us, being able to have our judicial rights respected is a major step for us. Whether the court rules in our favour or not, the Mayas have stood up for what they believe, have fought for their lands and have clearly worked to build awareness in the nation of Belize that they are Maya Belizeans, proud Maya Belizeans, that are living in the south and that are asking for the number one resource that determines their very livelihood.”
“I want the nation of Belize to know that it is not easy for these community members to leave their communities at two three in the morning, go through floods to get here and still come and sit in that park and wait to hear what the end of the day news is going to be and feel a joy and pride that them as Mayan people have built a good fight and continue to defend social justice; that’s my message to the rest of Belize.”
The villages of Conejo and Santa Cruz have based their claim on a decision of the O.A.S. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as well as a ten point agreement signed between Maya leaders and the Government in October 2000. Their attorney Antoniette Moore has indicated that she plans to call two more witnesses tomorrow afternoon. Following their testimonies counsel for the Government, Nicola Cho, will begin presenting her case.
