The national under secretary of the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, Perly Cipriano, and the director of the Defense of Human Rights, Fernando Matos, both of the Special Secretariat for Human Rights of the Presidency of the Republic (SEDH/PR), on Saturday March 12, visited with the Tupinambá cacique (leader) of the village Serra do Padreiro, Rosivaldo Ferreira da Silva, known as “cacique Babau”, who is jailed in the Superendência of the Federal Police (PF), in Salvador, Bahia. He was transferred on Tuesday March 10, after being detained near Ilhéus.

 

“The arrest of the cacique did not follow standard procedures for these actions”, stated Matos. According to him, information regarding the hour in which the arrest was made – 2:30 in the morning- has been confirmed by the Federal Prosecutor’s office, which has entered a habeas corpus plea on behalf of the cacique.

 

Cacique Babau is to be included in the Protection Program for Defenders of Human Rights.

 

The land dispute in the southern region of Bahia has generated conflicts with the indigenous community. The Tupinambá of Serra do Padeiro retook the Fazenda Santa Rosa, located on BR 101, Rio das Calheiras Zone, Uma/BA. In June of 2009, in Ilhéus, Ailza Silva Barbosa, Alzenir Oliveira da Silva, Carmerindo Batista da Silva, Mário Oliveira Barbosa, José Otávio de Freitas, of the Tupinambá, were imprisoned by the Federal Police and have reported abuse of authority and practice of torture.

 

The report of violent action by agents of the Federal Police against the indigenous Tupinambá community was delivered by the Indigenist Missionary Council/CIMI to the Council for the Defense of Rights of the Human Person (CDDPH), which has been dealing with the question. The Council met with the indigenous people and authority and is now closely following with concern these most recent facts. “The agrarian question is the primary backdrop for the occurrences of violations of human rights reported in this case”, explains Perly Cipriano.

 

Fernando Matos

Director of Defense of Human Rights

Assistant Secretary of Promotion and Defense of Human Rights – SPDDH

Special Secretary for Human Rights – SEDH