Newsletter n. 792: Indigenous people have occupied two headquarters of the Funasa to protest against the municipalization of indigenous health care
– Indigenous people have occupied two headquarters of the Funasa to protest against the municipalization of indigenous health care
– Organizations present reports on summary executions to the UN’s rapporteur
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indigenous people have occupied two headquarters of the Funasa to protest against the municipalization of indigenous health care
Yesterday (November 13), about 300 indigenous people from the states of Pará and Amazonas invaded two headquarters of the National Health Foundation (Funasa) located in the capitals of the states they live in (Belém and Manaus, respectively). They want the revoking of Administrative Ruling No. 2,656, which was issued by Funasa on October 18 and provides for fund transfers to municipal health care networks to assist indigenous people.
About 150 Tembé Tenetehara indigenous people have occupied the headquarters of Funasa’s Regional Coordinating Board in the state of Belém. In a meeting with executives from Funasa, indigenous people requested the presence of a Funasa representative from Brasília, but it was only confirmed for November 22. Yesterday, there were moments of tension when the Federal Police arrived at the Funasa’s headquarter and seized bows and arrows from indigenous people. The situation was under control after the intervention of the Prosecutor Felício Bridges, from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in the state of Pará.
Yesterday, the Tembé indigenous people announced that over 80 members of the Tembé and Assurini indigenous peoples will arrive in Belém to join those who occupied Funasa’s headquarter. They believe that the municipalities have no means to provide indigenous health care.
Doing away with the influence of political parties
In Manaus, about 150 members of different indigenous peoples have occupied Funasa’s headquarter. This morning, they disseminated a document listing 20 reasons for them to oppose the municipalization of indigenous health care.
They mentioned, for example, that, as a result of this municipalization process, indigenous people will be at the mercy of local political oscillations. In addition, mayors would not be under the obligation to improve municipal health policies in order to provide a satisfactory treatment to indigenous peoples. They would not have to comply with the decisions made by indigenous health care councils either. The municipalization process also decharacterizes the sanitary district system (DSEIs) as an inter-ethnic health care space.
Indigenous people are requiring many things, among which that “Funasa should be operated free from any influence of any political party” and that there should be an “ethical and moral cleansing” in Funasa’s staff.
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Organizations present reports on summary executions to the UN’s rapporteur
Yesterday (November 13), representatives from social organizations and movements presented to Philip Alston, who is the rapporteur of the United Nations Organization (UN) on arbitrary, summary, and extrajudicial executions, reports on similar cases involving this type of violence in the country. In its newsletter, Cimi highlighted the violence suffered by the Guarani Kaiowá people in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
At the beginning of the meeting, Alstom requested figures and statistics on summary executions for him to use them in his report to be disseminated in March 2008. In addition, the organizations mentioned structural reasons which led to an increase in the number of summary executions in recent years.
Representatives from the Black Movement of the state of Bahia described the situation faced by black people there as genocide. They criticized the racism embedded in public safety measures taken in the state.
In addition to presenting the public safety policies of the federal and state governments, the organizations discussed conflicts taking place in rural areas in Brazil. Marina dos Santos, from the Landless Movement, stressed that landowner’s organizations have been financing paramilitary groups as if they were private security companies. In this connection, she recalled the case of Valmir Mota, who was killed on October 21 in the state of Paraná by security guards from the NF company at the service of the Syngenta Seeds company.
Private militias hired by farmers are also responsible for the execution of indigenous people, as in 2005, when a security guard from the Gaspem company killed Dorvalino Rocha from the Guarani Kaiowá people. Cimi’s legal advisor Cláudio Beirão presented data confirming that the murder rate increases as lands are not demarcated. According to data collected by Cimi, there were 10 cases of summary executions of indigenous people from 2004 to 2006. Up to October 2007, 15 cases of brutal murders of indigenous people, who had no chance to defend themselves were reported.
Another issue discussed at the meeting was the process of criminalizing the actions of leaders of social movements, turning victims of violence into defendants.
Gilberto Oliveira, from the National Forum for Land Reform, highlighted that violence in rural areas results from land ownership concentration. He reinforced that cases involving executions result from structural issues and that the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary Branches should be held accountable for them.
At the end of the meeting, Alstom affirmed that he will strive to prepare a decent report as a means to contribute to the struggle of Human Rights supporters in Brazil. The report on the visit to Brazil is scheduled to be disseminated between March and April 2008.
Brasília, November 14, 2007
Indianist Missionary Council
