Supporting the Indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’ Agua Caliente Community in Guatemala: An Amicus Curiae Brief

In 2021, members of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group (RIPIG) were approached by the Indian Law Resource Center to prepare an Amicus Curiae brief in support of the Maya Q’eqchi’ Agua Caliente Community in Guatemala. In response, a number of RIPIG members, in their personal capacity as international law academics, international lawyers and human rights advocates with expertise in the rights of Indigenous Peoples, came together to prepare a brief. Submitted to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) in February 2022, this webinar will discuss the story behind this submission and the official brief in the Case of the Indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’ Agua Caliente Community v Guatemala. In doing so, it will examine the jurisprudence of the IACtHR on Indigenous Peoples’ rights to land and self-determination. As the Inter-American system for the protection of human rights is one of the most important normative venues regarding the recognition and implementation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, it is anticipated that the reasoning adopted by the Court in this case will impact Indigenous Peoples’ across the globe setting precedence on collective land and resource rights. The views reflected in this webinar and the amicus curiae brief do not reflect the views of the American Society of International Law.

Speakers:

• Leonardo Crippa, Senior Attorney, Indian Law Resource Center (Washington DC, US)
• Sorily Figuera, Profesora, Pontificia Universidad (Quito, Ecuador)
• Yuri Mantilla, Professor, Liberty University School of Law (Virginia, US)