Celebrate this HISTORIC Win for Indigenous Community Media and Freedom of Expression with us!
Creating lasting change takes decades of commitment, service, resources, relationships, and allyship. Recently, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights announced its decision in the case Indigenous Maya Kaqchikel Peoples of Sumpango vs. Guatemala, declaring the Republic of Guatemala “internationally responsible for the violation of the rights to freedom of expression, equality before the law and participation in cultural life” of Indigenous Peoples.
The ground-breaking decision comes after decades of activism by members of the Indigenous community radio movement in Guatemala, as currently Indigenous community radio stations are still not legalized more than 26 years after this right was guaranteed in the Guatemalan Peace Accords. Today, the radio stations continue to operate in a legal gray zone that has led to frequent persecution, disparagement, and criminalization by mainstream media conglomerates, the national police, and politicians.
The case, brought by Cultural Survival, Guatemala-based Associación Sobrevivencia Cultural, and submitted with support from the Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Clinic at Suffolk University Law School, was originally filed on September 28, 2012, arguing that Guatemala’s telecommunications law excludes Indigenous Peoples from accessing their own forms of media via community radio.
Nicole Friederichs of Suffolk University, Lead Counsel explains why this decision is historic and a precedent, "Of particular significance, is the Court’s recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ right to operate their own media, and its relationship to the right to freedom of expression, culture, self-determination, and non-discrimination. This is the first known international case to recognize this right."
None of this would have been possible without the support of Cultural Survival’s amazing community of donors and supporters. We have dedicated the last 50 years to partnering with Indigenous communities across the world to assert their self-determination and freedom of expression, and rights in protecting their lands, territories, and natural resources. We deeply appreciate your allyship and your continued partnership to stand with us up for Indigenous rights.
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