Ejidatarios Lose Lawyer After Death Threats in Maya Train Dispute

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Eight ejidatarios from the Juan Sarabia ejido, who filed a legal complaint against the ejido’s board for lack of transparency in the sale of construction material intended for Maya Train projects, have been left without legal representation after their lawyer definitively resigned, reportedly due to death threats.

Raymundo Zavala Peña, former ejidal commissioner, denounced that the plaintiffs have also been directly intimidated for demanding clarity in the handling of resources. He indicated that during hearings before the Agrarian Unitary Tribunal (TUA) District 44, a group of approximately 50 “bused-in” individuals, including several aggressors, appeared with the intention of harassing the ejidatarios, as occurred last Wednesday in Chetumal.

Salomón Cota Marcial, one of the dissatisfied parties, reported that they will request the Agrarian Attorney General’s Office to assign a lawyer to represent them, as the climate of insecurity in the ejido and community has prevented them from finding a private legal representative.

Francisco de la Cruz Méndez stated that the ejidal board is the main promoter of the aggressions, arguing that the expenses generated by the legal processes harm the ejido.

The plaintiffs expressed confidence that the TUA will act with transparency, citing a similar case in the northern part of the state, where a single ejidatario uncovered an embezzlement exceeding 300 million pesos after demanding accountability from their board. Currently, those responsible are fugitives from justice.

This case highlights the difficulties ejidatarios face in demanding transparency in resource administration and the pressure local boards exert to discourage complaints.