Mexico's Indigenous Communities Turn to Conciliation to Resolve Legal Conflicts Fernando Camacho Servin - La Jornada
go to original March 7, 2014

Raices de Nuestra Justicia: El documental presenta cuatro experiencias de sistemas de justicia indígena y comunitaria en el país, como expresiones actuales de construcción de la autonomía y la autodeterminación desde los pueblos. (Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez)

With the Mexican Judicial System in crisis, diverse indigenous peoples in Mexico have returned to putting into practice models of conflict resolution in the heart of their communities. Above all they seek conciliation between the two parties in a conflict rather than throwing people in jail, imposing fines, and finding someone at fault.

This is illustrated in the documentary Raíces de Nuestra Justicia [Roots of Our Justice], produced by the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Center of Human Rights. The documentary shows different models of the pursuit of justice by original peoples that is based on the “reeducation” of the offenders.

One of these systems that are illustrated in the film is that of the Tzeltales villages in Chiapas. The tribunal or judge analyzes the disagreement with the help of the “xuhts” (generally young men from the community), a court clerk, and a referee whose job is to verify that the judge acts in an impartial manner.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Translated by Janine Rhyans

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