PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) – Are the wonders of ancient Mexico at risk? Find out how the Mayan Train Project, the pet project of President López Obrador, is being called out by an International Tribunal for ecocide and ethnocide. This railway of controversy is accused of destroying biodiversity, poisoning water sources, and bulldozing through indigenous rights with a shocking disregard for Mother Earth. Discover how this transport line might be on a one-way track to environmental disaster. Continue reading…
An International Human Rights Tribunal has determined that the Mayan Train project, a cornerstone of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration, is an act of ecocide and ethnocide, infringing on the rights of nature and the indigenous Mayan community in southern Mexico. The court’s verdict, announced on Wednesday, is the latest development in the ongoing controversy surrounding the ambitious railway project, due to be inaugurated in December.
“The court’s verdict underscores the violation of the biocultural rights of the Mayan people who have for centuries been the guardians of their land, cenotes, caves, jungles, biodiversity, and traditional crops,” the report stated. The report identifies the Mexican state as responsible for these crimes of ecocide and ethnocide.
The International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature, an institution established by citizens to investigate and publicize environmental rights violations, has accused the Mayan Train project of contravening the rights of the land, water, and health as stated in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth. Notable infringements include destruction of biodiversity, aquifer contamination, deforestation of up to 10 million trees, extinction of flora and fauna, and the destruction of cenotes.
The Mayan Train project, a railway track spanning 1,554 kilometers across the southeastern states of Mexico, has been embroiled in controversy for its potential destruction of cultural heritage and biodiverse ecosystems. Despite injunctions from environmental organizations, López Obrador has classified the construction as a national security and public interest project, blocking any transparency regarding possible irregularities.
The verdict also criticizes the absence of consultation with indigenous communities and increased militarization to oversee the project. The tribunal has called for an independent audit of the project’s impacts, restoration of affected ecosystems, and suspension of communal land expropriation. The verdict will be delivered to President López Obrador and national institutions such as the CNDH, Fonatur, Semarnat, and INPI.
PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - Are the wonders of ancient Mexico at risk? Find out how the Mayan Train Project, the pet project of President López Obrador, is being called out by an International Tribunal for ecocide and ethnocide. This railway of controversy is accused of destroying biodiversity, poisoning water sources, and bulldozing through indigenous rights with a shocking disregard for Mother Earth. Discover how this transport line might be on a one-way track to environmental disaster. Continue reading...
