CDI Finds a Different Kind of Justice for Mexico's Indigenous People Dennis A. Garcia - El Universal
go to original April 14, 2015

Before being imprisoned Pablo Huachina worked as a mason, and earned between US$3 and US$9 a day. (Special)

Pablo Huacachina Posadas, a native from Cuahuximaloyan who speaks Náhuatl, is one of the 2,773 stories of injustice that have ended up in prison for stealing an avocado, transporting timber or being accused of theft by their employers.

However, they are now free with the support of the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (CDI).

...So far in this administration the CDI has released 2,773 indigenous people who stayed between 50 days and over three years behind bars out of a total of 8,558.

In an interview with EL UNIVERSAL Nuvia Mayorga Delgado, director of the CDI, said the goal of the six-year plan is to assist 70% of the indigenous population in prison, and added  that the other 30% can not be assisted because they are facing legal processes or have been convicted of a federal crime.

"We pay the bail and assist detainees with the help 193 indigenous lawyers and 180 translators" distributed in 24 delegations throughout the country, Mayorga explained.

She added that they expect to release a little over 1,000 indigenous people this year. The CDI has a budget of 80,000 pesos (US$5,230) for each case.

Once released, the CDI helps them with a productive project so that they can make a living.

According to the CDI in 2013 there were 1,460 indigenous people in prison in Oaxaca, 1,082 in Chiapas, 998 in Puebla, 735 in Veracruz, 520 in Mexico City and 418 in Chihuahua.

Read the rest at El Universal

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