Company filing case is engaged in legal battle with indigenous Mayans in Quintana Roo over land rights

Location: Mexico, Quintana Roo
Date: May 13, 2024

Women Press Freedom stands resolutely behind Fabiola Cortés Miranda, an investigative journalist affiliated with the independent media outlet Periodismo en Colectivo and human rights organization Somos tus Ojos. Miranda faces a lawsuit from Four Cardinals Development México SA de CV, which demands $3.6 million for "material damages" and an additional 5 million pesos for "serious moral damages."  The company is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with indigenous Mayans in Quintana Roo over land rights for development. We strongly condemn the use of SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) against Miranda, who was merely performing her journalistic duties. We regard this lawsuit as a clear case of judicial intimidation aimed at suppressing public interest information and obstructing free journalism. We call for the immediate dismissal of the charges against Fabiola Cortés Miranda.

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Noted journalist and activist Fabiola Cortés Miranda is facing a lawsuit from the international company Four Cardinals Development México SA de CV. The company demands $3.6 million for "material damages" and an additional 5 million pesos for "serious moral damages." This legal action stems from Cortés Miranda's coverage and legal support of a land dispute involving Mayan indigenous people, who claim dispossession of their property, "El Pocito," due to a real estate project by the company. The indigenous parties are also being sued.

Additionally, the company's attorney has petitioned the court to request information from the National Banking and Securities Commission about Miranda's bank accounts, intending to seize assets to ensure payment of the claimed damages. The court has also been asked to issue an arrest warrant as a precautionary measure to prevent Miranda from leaving the jurisdiction.

Women Press Freedom staunchly supports Fabiola Cortés Miranda. We view this as a SLAPP case, a method to intimidate and silence the journalist, whose work has played a pivotal role in unveiling potential abuses of power, corruption, and dispossession against indigenous communities. We have observed a worrying rise in the use of such legal tactics against journalists and media outlets in recent years. We urge the Second Civil Court of Playa del Carmen to dismiss the lawsuit, referencing the highest international and national standards of freedom of expression. Cases like these must be considered within the broader context of ongoing violence and attacks against the press in Mexico. We emphasize the critical importance of protecting coverage on matters of public interest. 

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