The current legal team for the case consists of lawyers and law students based in Guatemala and in Boston, USA. Working closely with Cultural Survival and victim communities, the Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Clinic at Suffolk University Law School, located in Boston and directed by Nicole Friederichs, filed the petition with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights in 2012. Suffolk Law Adjunct Professor, Amy Van-Zyl Chavarro joined the legal team soon thereafter. In 2020, following the Commission’s referral of the case to the Court, lawyers Cristian Otzin and Adriana Sunun of the Asociación de Abogados Mayas, based in Guatemala, formally joined the legal team. Both Cristian and Adriana had been involved in defending indigenous communities following government raids of indigenous community radio stations.
Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Clinic
Association of Mayan Lawyers and Notaries of Guatemala (ANMAG)
Para traducciones al español haga clic AQUÍ
The Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Clinic at Suffolk University Law School at Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA, together with the Association of Maya Lawyers and Notaries in Guatemala, have been recognized for their exemplary legal advocacy in the case of Maya Kaqchikel Indigenous Peoples of Sumpango et al. v. Guatemala. Their relentless representation before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights culminated in a seminal ruling that addressed discriminatory regulations governing radio frequency allocations in Guatemala. Their efforts underscored the unique adversities faced by indigenous communities and championed the rights to freedom of expression and cultural integrity, thereby advancing international standards of freedom of expression. See more about this award or watch the ceremony here: Global Freedom of Expression Prize Winners 2024