[NYTr] Indigenous Law Presented in Mexico
 
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 16:00:25 -0500 (CDT)

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mexidata.info - Aug 14, 2006
(EDITED TRANSLATION FROM REFORMA, AUGUST 10, 2006, MEXICO CITY)

Indigenous Law Presented in Mexico

By Mayolo Lspez

Huehuetlan, San Luis Potosm - As of June 1, approximately 55,000 
Huastec, Pame and Tinek indigenous groups from San Luis Potosm will 
be able to benefit from the Law of Administration of Indigenous and 
Community Justice, the first of its kind in Mexico.

During the ceremony for the presentation of the law, President 
Vicente Fox stated that no one should fear the recognition of 
indigenous rights, while Xschitl Galvez declared in an interview that 
the efforts of Sub-Commander Marcos are reflected in the new law.

In the words of the Commissioner for Indigenous Peoples, the law 
permits "the true exercise of the autonomy of communities by 
acknowledging the full value of the determinations of their 
traditional authorities."

"Like any other citizen," she explained, indigenous people will be 
able to submit denunciations to legal organizations and be entitled 
to respect for their cultural diversity, bearing in mind their habits 
and customs, with the support of an interpreter and a defense 
attorney familiar with their language and culture.

She hailed the fact that, "Recognition of the application of 
normative systems in the regulation and solution of conflicts within 
their communities is extremely important, because it accepts the 
validity and effectiveness of the application of their habits and 
customs."

The law will grant full validity to the determinations of indigenous 
authorities and no external institution will be able to intervene in 
the decisions made.

Galvez considered that the law "is the reflection of what was 
discussed in the San Andris Larrainzar Agreements: the recognition of 
other forms of administering justice."

During her speech, Marma Elena Sanchez Guzman, president of the 
Supreme Court of Justice in San Luis Potosm, explained that the 
advantage of the law is that indigenous peoples and communities will 
be subjects of public law with legal status, autonomy, authorities 
and normative systems.

"The determinations of the indigenous authorities,? she pointed out, 
?will be able to be reviewed and confirmed or otherwise by the state 
courts through a simple, summary system when the plaintiffs allege 
violations of individual guarantees or human rights."

Among other propositions, the new law:

- Acknowledges the existence and validity of indigenous justice, 
known as habits and customs.

- Grants auxiliary judges jurisdiction and authority.

- Will guarantee training and supervision by the state Supreme Court 
of Justice.

- Ensures that the application of justice will be devoid of formality 
and brief.
       
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