In the coming weeks Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice will decide over 300 complaints filed against the constitutional articles of reformregarding indigenous peoples approved in 2001 by the Mexican Congress. The reforms have been rejected by major indigenous organizations. According to the International Service for Peace (SIPAZ): “Indigenous peoples rejected this reform because it meant a significant limitation in the fundamental right to self-determination recognized in the San Andres Accords on Indigenous Rights and Culture.” The reforms impose various limits on the rights of indigenous peoples, in violation of Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, which was ratified by Mexico. The decision is expected to have important implications for the peace process in Chiapas.
