KAINGANG LEADERS ARE RELEASED FROM PRISON IN THE STATE OF SANTA CATARINA

 

After being kept in the regional penitentiary of Chapecó, in the state of Santa Catarina, since December 27, 2005, chief Idalino Fernandes Siqueira, 41, and indigenous leader Jair Cardoso, 45, both from the Toldo Chimbangue indigenous land, were released from prison last Friday (the 24th) following an order issued by a federal court. On Saturday, the 25th, the Kaingang organized a large party to celebrate the release of their leaders. The climate was one of great joy and emotion. Idalino spoke to the community and asked all of its members to continue to fight to recover their lands and not be intimidated by the fact that some people were arrested. He said that a court had determined that Funai should recalculate the sums to be paid to farmers who are still living in the indigenous land to indemnify them for improvements made in them by April and then remove all of them from the area. He asked them to keep calm in their village.

 

The leaders were arrested after a demonstration staged by indigenous people inside the area on December 19. The indigenous people blocked roads to draw the attention of the federal administration to the delay in the process of removing non-indigenous occupants from the 975-hectare Toldo Chimbangue II indigenous land, located in the municipality of Chapecó, in the west region of Santa Catarina. In the following week, eight leaders were arrested, including the chief of the Toldo Pinhal indigenous land, Lauri Alves. He had been in the area, but was accused by employees of the Alfa cooperative, which is linked to agribusinessmen and to the government of Santa Catarina, of being one of the leaders of the demonstration. For this reason, he was indicted by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and arrested by the Federal Police and released three days later. The other five leaders of the Toldo Chimbangue land had been released during January, and only Idalino and Jair were still in prison.

 

Cimi believes that the charges pressed against indigenous leaders in Santa Catarina and their arrest reveal the continuity of a mistaken, racist and discriminatory historical process in relation to indigenous peoples and their form of territorial occupation. These facts result from a strategy adopted by political and economic sectors which oppose indigenous rights in this state and want to scare indigenous peoples fighting for the recognition of their right to live in their traditional lands by criminalizing their leaders. These are lands from which these peoples were expelled in the recent past by the same social sectors that are trying to have them arrested now.

 

GUARANI-KAIOWÁ ASK TO RETURN TO THE THEIR LANDS

 

In a letter sent to authorities on February 26, the Kaiowá Guarani Commission described all the suffering that the members of the indigenous community of the Ñande Ru Marangatu indigenous land have been going through in last 70 days during which they have been camping by a highway after being expelled from their traditional lands.

 

Among other urgent requests, the Guarani-Kaiowá want the Supreme Court to judge a writ of mandamus contesting the official confirmation of the bounds of the Nhande Ru Marangatu land as quickly as possible, revalidating the homologation of the land, and Funai to indemnify 50 families of non-indigenous people for improvements they made in farms located inside the land according to the law. Click here to read the full letter.

 

Brasília, March 2, 2006.

 

Cimi – Indianist Missionary Council