7 News Belize

Supreme Court Tells Mayas State Not Responsible For Myles
posted (October 18, 2019)
Back in June of 2015, it made headlines when Rupert Myles, the black Creole Belizean from Ladyville, was handcuffed and hauled out of the Mayan Village of Santa Cruz in Southern Belize.

He claimed racism by the Mayan Villagers, while they counter alleged that he disrespected and caused damage to the Uxbenka Maya Archaeological site. They say that he built his house on the site's grounds and then damaged it when he bulldozed a hill, just so that he could get access to the front door of his illegally placed home.

Well, court documents indicate that in 2016, Manuel Pop, who was First Alcalde of the San Cruz, brought a lawsuit against the Myles and the Government of Belize for the damage.

The Government which was being represented at the time by former Solicitor General Nigel Hawke brought an application to the court to strike the lawsuit out. He argued that the Government cannot be held responsible for Myles' actions because Myles was not an agent of the state in any fashion

In response, Pop's attorney, Monica Magnusson Coc, argued before the judge that Myles was an independent third party who acted with the "tolerance and/or acquiescence Government. The Government - she argued - had a specific legal duty to protect Maya lands against third party incursions. They say that this responsibility was handed to them as a result of the consent order of 2015 in the Caribbean Court of Justice case, which has resulted in the recognition of Maya Customary Land Tenure.

But, after deliberating on the arguments of both sides, Justice Michelle Arana delivered a ruling today in which she agreed with the Government's position.

She has ruled that the case brought by the Alcalde of Santa Cruz is to be struck out.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize