Guatemala seeks indigenous justice recognition скачать в хорошем качестве

Guatemala seeks indigenous justice recognition

(15 Feb 2017) Justice works as it has for centuries in the Guatemalan Indigenous town of Solala: townsfolk bring grievances and local authorities make rulings, usually with a speed unheard of in a country where justice is often delayed, if it comes at all. The generally non-partisan leaders of local Mayan communities hear the cases, trying to find quick resolutions when they can and sometimes passing cases over to formal prosecutors when they cannot. The Solola court alone dealt with 3,000 cases last year. For generations, outsiders have looked down on indigenous law courts, as they have on indigenous cultures themselves. Some 40 percent of Guatemala's 17 (m) million people identify themselves as indigenous and there is now a growing respect for the traditional ways in which their cultures deal with their differences. Guatemala's Supreme Court already has recognised some rulings by indigenous courts and there's a move to formally amend the country's constitution to recognise them. A measure to do that fell just two votes short in congress last year, with opposition coming from business interests who said they feared legal confusion if different systems co-existed. The formal legal system has often exploited or ignored indigenous Guatemalans, who were legally required to perform forced labour well into the 20th century and who generally found it nearly impossible to pay for lawyers. Even now, only 10 percent of the country's townships have prosecutors' offices. In Solola, Mayor Tomas Saloj presided over hearings in a town hall decorated with the 20 figures representing the Mayan calendar. On the table that served as the judge's bench were a candle and a glass of water, an invitation for the wisdom of dead ancestors to enter. Indigenous Congressman Amilcar Pop said the use of floggings is increasingly discouraged, however, and that no matter what, their judicial system will continue to exist. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...