Around 150 Tupinikim and Guarani Indians blocked this morning at 7:30hs the state road ES-010, close to Coqueiral, in the municipality of Aracruz, to protest against the maintenance of the arrest of 15 Tupinikim Indians at the civil police station of Aracruz, since 9 of August.

 

With this action, the women and indigenous families, the Chiefs and Leaders and their communities, demand the immediate release of the arrested Indians, accused of stealing wood from the Aracruz Celuylose company within the 11,009 hectares of indigenous lands that still wait for the official demarcation by the Lula government.

 

Through this action, the indigenous peoples intend to denunciate the Judiciary of Espírito Santo, especially Judge Anselmo Laranja, who shows to be an authority who is attending Aracruz Celulose. By maintaining the Indians arrested, instead of letting them undergo, freely, their eventual ‘crime’, the Judge and the Aracruz Company try to intimidate and criminalize the Indians, accusing them constantly of “hindering the economic development” of the state of Espirito Santo. Since 22 August, an appeal for a ‘habeas corpus’ is being analyzed by the High Court judge José Luiz Barreto Vivas, without any response. The Governor Paulo Hartung, supported by the company, keeps silent about the indigenous land rights and about the grave and violent land conflicts involving its police force, which should combate organized crime and the public insecurity that is devastating the Espirito Santo state.

 

We, from the Alert against the Green Desert Network, want to denunciate the Aracruz Celulose company as the main violator of Rights and cause of the severe problems that the Indians are facing since Aracruz invaded their lands, destructed their forests and planted eucalyptus. We also demand that the Lula Government does not wait longer but already demarcates, totally, the indigenous lands in Espirito Santo. We also demand that governor Paulo Hartung defends the indigenous land in front of the multinational Aracruz Celulose.

 

Rede Alerta contra o Deserto Verde

28 de agosto de 2006

 

We all ask you to send a message to the Tribunal of Justice (department: Ouvidoria Geral): [email protected]

 

We suggest the following message (in which we demand for the release of the people, in which we say there is no legal reason to keep people in prison who never underwent  any crime and also have a permanent address, that we are concerned about the fact that this arrest is related with the land struggle Indians-Aracruz and the fact that Aracruz Celulose is apparently abusing of its power and influence to keep the Indians arrested in degrading conditions for almost 20 days, and finally, that we hope that measures will be taken so that the Indians will be released immediately) :

Tribunal da Justiça do Estado do Espírito Santo

A/C Ouvidoria Geral

 

Prezado Senhor(a),

Através desta, vimos solicitar a imediata libertação de 15 índios presos na delegacia da Polícia Civil na cidade de Aracruz(ES), desde o último dia 9 de agosto.

 

Não há nenhum motivo legal para manter estes índios presos, já que são réus primários e todos têm residência fixa. Eles podem portanto responder processo em liberdade.

 

Vale esclarecer também que neste momento existe um conflito de terra entre as comunidades indígenas e a empresa Aracruz Celulose, que aparentemente está usando todo seu poder e sua influência para manter os índios presos, em condições degradantes, já por quase 20 dias.

 

Ficamos atentos a este processo, e confiamos que o Senor(a) tome as devidas providências para que os índios sejam libertados quanto antes,

 

Atenciosamente,