Urgent! Please Sign and Share! Let’s stop the criminalization of Sergio Oceransky and the Yansa Foundation for their advocacy work. Your signature can help bring attention to protect a vulnerable human rights defender and the community he works with.

In recent months, my brother, Sergio Oceransky, a renowned and long-standing human rights and environmental defender, has faced an intense campaign of criminalization and harassment.

For over 30 years, Sergio has dedicated his life to the international defense of #humanrights and the protection of #ancestralterritories, particularly by supporting the #Mayan communities of Mexico. However, recent actions against him have threatened his physical integrity and safety, as well as his work as a defender of the land and the recognized rights of communities.

The Yansa Foundation, which Sergio leads, has been crucial in the recovery of ancestral lands by #MayanCommunities, supporting them in regaining control of their legitimate resources. These actions have upset companies and sectors seeking to profit from the indiscriminate exploitation and destruction of these lands, which are the foundation for the life and future of the community and biodiversity. 

Sergio is facing a series of chilling acts of harassment: ranging from online and in-person harassment to being followed by cars without license plates, and baseless legal charges that deny him even the chance to defend himself properly, culminating in an arbitrary arrest—despite the fact that he is under federal protection due to his work as a human rights defender.

THE TRIGGER: THE SUCCESS OF THE LEGAL DEFENSE

The current escalation of harassment is a direct reprisal for the effectiveness of the support provided by Sergio Oceransky and the Yansa Foundation in securing a court-ordered suspension of private megaprojects on community lands. 

In October 2025, the communities obtained a definitive judicial suspension of the Ciudad Maderas Península real estate project in Yucatán. This legal milestone halted the destruction of 1,000 hectares of rainforest and mangroves, protecting the region’s aquifer from a business venture worth billions of pesos.

In addition, other illegal projects have been halted, always through fair legal processes so that communities can regain legitimate control of their own territories: pig farms in mangroves, endangered cenotes, real estate developments that exploit the land…

• https://lineasemergentes.mx/suspenden-desarrollo-ciudad-maderas-tras-denuncia-por-danos-ambientales/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-dqnWo7z9k

TIMELINE OF A COORDINATED PERSECUTION

To silence his voice, a criminalization campaign has been launched that uses the criminal justice system as a tool of punishment:

• Jalisco Case (April 2026): Sergio was arbitrarily detained in Tonalá, in violation of federal injunction 566/2026, which prohibited his arrest. The local prosecutor’s office used “ghost addresses” (non-existent addresses in Zapopan) to fabricate an alleged flight from justice. Although the initial charge was extortion, the charge was first reduced to “threats,” with a legal gag order prohibiting him from mentioning his accusers, and ultimately resulted in his release without charges, as it was obviously a fabricated and baseless charge.
• Case in Yucatán (May 2026): Shortly after his release in Jalisco, an investigation file fabricated in 2023 for the alleged crime of “dispossession” was reactivated. This process is driven by groups with significant economic power affected by his advocacy work.

STATE OF ALERT: IMMINENT RISK AND VULNERABILITY

The current situation has reached levels of risk that are unacceptable for any state governed by the rule of law:

• Judicial Irregularities: The authorities have arbitrarily denied the 30-day extension requested for the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) to prepare a critical expert report, leaving the defense completely defenseless from a technical standpoint.
• Physical Threats and Shock Troops: The unpunished operation of shock troops with covered faces and unlicensed vehicles has been documented; these groups have intimidated and followed the Yansa Foundation team as they left the courthouse, in the face of inaction by the state police. Furthermore, violent shock troops have destroyed a cabin during a community assembly in #Dzitnup.

DEMANDS

We appeal to the international community and Mexican authorities to demand:

• An immediate end to the criminalization of Sergio Oceransky and the members of the Yansa Foundation, ensuring the dismissal of cases lacking legal basis.
• Effective and immediate protection for Sergio and the defender communities against physical harassment and documented threats.

Your signature sends a powerful message: we will not allow the justice system to be used to imprison those who protect the future of our planet.

Sign, share, and spread the word!

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#JusticeForSergio #DefendingIsNotACrime #LandDefenders #DefenderSergioOceransky