Escalation of Violence Follows Court’s Rejection of Challenge to Indigenous Rights Law

On September 6, the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico (SCJN) ruled against more than 300 complaints filed against the newly introduced Indigenous Rights Law. The law, a constitutional reform, has been challenged by Mexico’s indigenous groups and civil society organizations on the grounds that it fails to implement important features of the 1996 San Andres Accords. Three hundred and two objections were filed by the Oaxaca municipalities, home to many of Mexico’s indigenous communities, and the rest were presented by the councils of Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco, Michoacán, Jalisco, Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo and Morelos.