Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled that Indigenous people are entitled to an interpreter from the moment they come into contact with criminal justice authorities, even if they have not yet been formally accused.
By a unanimous vote, the court established that the right to interpreter assistance is non-waivable and must be guaranteed throughout the entire proceedings so that Indigenous people are not left defenseless.
“The right of Indigenous people to be assisted by an interpreter is triggered from the first contact with the authorities, even when a person appears as a witness or as someone providing information and not as the accused,” Justice Loretta Ortiz Ahlf, author of the ruling, said.
Justice Giovani Figueroa Mejía stressed that guaranteeing that right “ensures that every Indigenous person can use their own identity when appearing for the first time before judicial authorities under equal conditions.”
Riviera Maya News & Events (9/4/26) By Javier Mendez