By Brenda López Romero
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

 YUCATAN, Mexico – Litigators, Raul Lugo Rodríguez and Jorge Fernandez, from the Indigenous Group insist that Ricardo Ucan Seca’s fundamental human rights were violated because he was not provided with defense counsel that spoke in his Indigenous Mayan language during Ucan Seca’s trial. Ucan Seca has been detained in the Social Rehabilitation Center of Merida since 2000. Ucan Seca filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) against the Mexican State alleging violations to the American Convention for Human Rights.

The State of Yucatan argued to the IACHR that fourteen judges, both state and federal, determined that Ucan Seca is guilty of Bernardino Chan’s homicide. However, in 2007, the Commission on Human Rights for the State of Yucatan identified irregularities by the defense counsel, Blanca Segovia Ruiz, in Ucan Seca’s trial.  

The Honorable Florentín Meléndez of IACHR asked the State to provide documentation to prove that the defense counsel was able to speak Maya when the defense counsel litigated Ucan Seca’s defense. IACHR also requested more evidence of the due process procedures when Ucan Seca was determined guilty by the trial court.    

Alejandro Negrin, Executive Director of the Council on Human Rights in Mexico, sought to become a mediator between the State and Ucan Seca, to bring a quicker resolution to the matter since Ucan Seca has been imprisoned for the last ten years. Nonetheless, Negrin testified to IACHR that in Ucan Seca’s case there was compliance with the American Convention for Human Rights and there were no rights violated.

For more information, please see:

Diario de Yucatán – Discrimina el Estado al pueblo – 6 November 2009

Tribuna – Ratifica Gobierno condena a indígena – 6 November 2009

Terra – Gobierno mexicano accede a buscar solución en caso debido proceso a indígena – 5 November 2009