The two Guarani Kaiowá professors Rolindo and Genivaldo Vera remain missing. Their community has been looking for them since 30 October. The two were in an indigenous group of 25 who on October 29 retook the tekohá (traditional land) Ypo’i near the municipality of Paranhos, Mato Grosso do Sul. On the day following the retaking, the group was dispossessed by armed private security guards and since then the professors have not been seen.

Genivaldo Vera

 

The Police continue to look for the professors. The population of the village Pirajuí, where the parents and other family members of the professors live, are very concerned. The classes of more than 500 students in the area were suspended in solidarity with the missing professors. The social movements and international entities have been calling for measures to be taken, demarcation of land and justice.

 

In a letter sent to the Procurator Marco Antonio of the Ministério Público Federal, in Dourados and Margarida Nicoletti, administrator of the FUNAI Cone Sul, the parents of the two professors appeal for their help.

 

The letter:

 

“We of the community of the village of Ypo’i are becoming very desperate over the disappearance of our two professors that [they] not be disappeared. We would like the authorities of these competent agencies to help us immediately.

We are very tired COME! END THIS!

We request the sincere support of the authorities, because we have already looked everywhere, we formally request your intervention together with the Paraguayan authorities because we are so close to the border.

This being of urgent immediacy we depend very much on the support of this agency of the public ministry; As the laws of the federal constitution guarantee.

As long as we have not found our countrymen professors we will continue to search, with this all of the children of the village of Pirajui and other areas are going to suffer consequences relative to the school year, for this reason we ask that you help us to find out relative[s].

 

For this we thank you in advance

 

Father of professor Genivaldo Vera, Bernardo Vera and his mother Francisca Gonsales

 

Father of professor Rolindo Vera, Catalino Vera and his mother Tila Ximenes”

 

Parents of the victims, the nanderu (spritual leader of the Guarani, the ñadesy, professors and supporters all jointly issue an SOS.