On 20/02/2006, summaries of two official reports, approved by the President of the FUNAI (the governmental National Indigenist Foundation), were published in the National State Gazette (Diário Oficial da União):

1.  summary of the report of the complementary study of the identification and delimitation of the indigenous lands Caieiras Velhas and Pau Brasil, constituting the indigenous land called ‘Tupiniquim‘; process no. 08620.1497/96; size: 14,227 hectares

2. summary of the report of the complementary study of the identification and delimitation of the indigenous land Comboios; process no. 08620.1’526/96; size: 3,800 hectares.

 

Both reports, organized by the anthropologist Jorge Luíz de Paulo, are very clear about the fact that the lands under study are indigenous, considering the legal criteria, and therefore these lands need to be demarcated. In this sense, the report reaffirms the conclusions of the FUNAI-studies realized in the period 1994-1998. Also these complementary studies note the existence of two ancient villages that are being reconstructed in the studied area, where the Indians at the time of the study (November/December 2005) were also ‘reconstructing’ their way of life, with traditional housing and traditional subsistence crops. It is clear that this was all written before the violent destruction of the villages by action of the Police, in cooperation with Aracruz Celulose, on 20/01/2006.
 

With this important publication, a period of 90 days initiated during which any party can challenge the reports. Aracruz announced in a press release that it intends to challenge the reports. After this (on 20 May), a period starts of 60 days for the juridical department of FUNAI analyzing the challenges. Then the process is sent to the Minister of Justice for his decision.

 

Another important information is that the Federal Public Prosecution Service (Ministério Público Federal) in the Espírito Santo state sent on 14 February 2006 to the Regional Federal Court of the 2nd Region in Rio de Janeiro an appeal in which attorney André Pimentel Filho demands that the Indians get permission to reoccupy the area from which the Police tried to evict them with violence on 20 January, until the final decision of the federal government ( the decision of the Minister of Justice is expected in July/August of this year).

If the Court accepts this appeal, it will mean that the Indians can return to the villages and maintain the occupation without being afraid of a new eviction.

 

Alert against the Green Desert Movement

22 February 2006