Newsletter n. 676

In this newsletter:

• Process for the official confirmation of the bounds of the Javaé and Karajá land is lost as a result of the red tape of the indigenous policy
  
• Funai assumes the commitment to declare that Tupinikim and Guarani lands, located in the state of Espirito Santo, are indigenous lands

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PROCESS FOR THE OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION OF THE BOUNDS OF THE JAVAÉ AND KARAJÁ LAND IS LOST AS A RESULT OF THE RED TAPE OF THE INDIGENOUS POLICY

The last stage in the process of recognizing an indigenous land is the official confirmation of its bounds by the Brazilian State. For this to happen, the minister of Justice submits the relevant administrative documents to the President of the Republic for him to sign a decree for this purpose. The process related to the Iñawébohona land, which belongs to the Javaé and Karajá peoples and is located in the state of Tocantins, was submitted by minister Marcio Thomaz Bastos to the president for his signature on April 18 of this year. However, the bounds of land have not been officially confirmed so far. The process is stalled. It hasn’t reached the Office of the President of the Republic and was sent back to Funai.

The indigenous people who live in this land only became aware of these facts two days after pressuring politicians in Brasília to try and understand the causes of the delay to confirm the bounds of the land, which could have been explained to them two years ago.

Since August 2, they had been pressuring for an audience with the ministries of Justice and Environment, with the National Foundation for Indigenous People (Funai), and with the Brazilian environmental agency, Ibama. Only the ministry of Environment replied, saying that matter was not under its responsibility.

Even without scheduled meetings, 20 Javaé, Xerente and Karajá leaders came to the capital of the country. In the afternoon of the 9th, they headed to the ministry of Justice (MJ), which is located at Esplanada dos Ministérios (the square in Brasília where all ministries are located), to pressure for a meeting. They were successful in their efforts. The ministry of Justice instructed Funai to receive the group, which had a meeting with the president of the agency, Mércio Pereira Gomes. It was a surprise, since Funai senior officials have been adopting a policy of holding meetings with only very few indigenous groups.

The subject to be discussed with Funai and the ministry of Justice was the official confirmation of the bounds of the Iñawébohona land, located on the Bananal Island in the Araguaia river, state of Tocantins. The process for the demarcation of the land was referred to the ministry on August 12, 2003, and it was supposed to analyze it, confirm it, and submit it to the president of the republic 30 days later at the latest. If the process is not approved, it has to return it to Funai “based on a grounded arguments.”

During the meeting, Gomes could not tell the indigenous what was obstructing the process of the official confirmation of the bounds of the land. After three hours, many phone calls to the ministry of Justice and a lot of conversation, the president of the official indigenous agency admitted that the process had been return by the ministry of Justice to Funai. But nobody at Funai knew where the documents were. The process had been “lost.”

This Thursday morning, the indigenous people returned to Funai. They said they would not leave the agency without a copy of the process. After Funai officials looked for it for a long time, the process was found and they explained what nobody seemed to know: the process had been returned to Funai with a suggestion for a working group to be set up with Ibama and Funai representatives to clarify an issue raised by Ibama, which manages the Araguaia National Park created inside the indigenous land. 

The overlapping of the park on indigenous lands creates problems for the daily lives of indigenous communities, since Ibama imposes restrictions on how the area can be used. The most recent example was the imposition of restrictions on making electricity available in some villages, preventing the construction of an artesian well. Without electricity and the well, the Javaé people continue to drink water from a river that has been polluted by crops grown around the island. 

Funai had already expressed the opinion that the issues raised by the environmental agency should not prevent the official confirmation of the bounds of the land, because title deeds to indigenous lands are null. However, the legal department of the ministry of Justice once again recommended the creation of the working group in April 2005. Because Funai took no measures to set up the working group and neither questioned the suggestion made by the ministry of Justice, the process remained stalled – and lost – since May without any measures being taken by neither agency.

In an effort to solve the problem, the Javaé managed to schedule a meeting to be held on Friday, the 12th, with the presidents of Funai and Ibama and with representatives of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. They say they will not return to their village without making sure that concrete measures will be taken to confirm the bounds of their land.

FUNAI ASSUMES THE COMMITMENT TO DECLARE THAT TUPINIKIM AND GUARANI LANDS, LOCATED IN THE STATE OF ESPÍRITO SANTO, ARE INDIGENOUS LANDS

A public hearing on the situation of the lands of the Tupinikim and Guarani peoples in Espírito Santo was granted yesterday, the 10th, by the Human Rights and Minorities Committee of the Chamber of Representatives in Brasília. Part of the indigenous territory, which had been occupied by the Aracruz Cellulose transnational corporation and was being used to plant eucalyptus, was reoccupied by the indigenous people in May of this year. Since then, the indigenous people and the company have been fighting for the right to stay in land.

“We will not give up our right to stay in the land. We can talk about how the company will be indemnified for what it built or planted in it, but we will not leave the land,” said Antonio Carvalho, an indigenous person.

According to the indigenous people, the audience was aimed at ensuring the commitment made by Funai and the ministry of Justice to issue an administrative ruling recognizing the right of the indigenous people to occupy the area, which has been anthropologically recognized as an indigenous area. Roberto Lustosa, a Funai official, said that the agency intends take the necessary steps for the ruling to be issued, provided that it is not subject to any legal questioning. “The administrative ruling will only be issued after we can verify that it will not be legally challenged right after it is published.” According to him, the government thinks that the administrative ruling providing for the demarcation of the whole area, and not of just part of it, as provided for in another ruling that replaced the previous one, should be reissued: “The administrative ruling issued in 1998 did not challenged the anthropological report prepared by Funai,” he says.

The indigenous people began to rebuild their villages already and they want to remove the eucalyptus plantation from their land. The land, which is located in the municipality of Aracruz, in the state of Espírito Santo, was anthropologically identified by Funai in 1998 as an area covering about 18,000 hectares, but it was demarcated in islands totaling 7,061 hectares after an agreement was reached under which Aracruz had right to use part of the land in exchange for payments. The agreement, which was signed between indigenous people and the company under questionable conditions, was initially supported by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPF). One month later, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office questioned the legitimacy of the agreement, since indigenous lands are, by definition, inalienable under the Constitution.

The audience was attended by indigenous leaders from the two peoples, representatives of Funai , the ministry of Justice, and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and a representative of the Aracruz Cellulose company, Carlos Alberto Roxo, who said that the company will file suit to ensure its right to stay in the land.

Brasília, 11 August  2005

Cimi – Indianist Missionary Council

www.cimi.org.br

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Informe nº 676: Processo para a homologação da terra dos Javaé e Karajá perde-se na burocracia da política indigenista

PROCESSO PARA A HOMOLOGAÇÃO DA TERRA DOS JAVAÉ E KARAJÁ PERDE-SE NA BUROCRACIA DA POLÍTICA INDIGENISTA

O último passo no processo de reconhecimento de uma terra indígena pelo Estado brasileiro é a homologação. Para que ele aconteça, o ministro da Justiça envia o processo administrativo para o presidente da República, que assina um decreto. O processo da terra Iñawébohona, dos povos Javaé e Karajá, no Tocantins, foi encaminhado para a assinatura presidencial em 18 de abril deste ano, pelo ministro Marcio Thomaz Bastos. Mas a terra não foi homologada. O processo parou. Não chegou à Presidência da República e ainda voltou para a Funai.

Os indígenas que vivem nesta terra só ficaram sabendo disto depois de dois dias fazendo pressão política em Brasília para tentar entender as causas da demora para a homologação, que já poderia ter sido encaminhada há dois anos.

Desde o dia 02 de agosto, eles tentavam marcar audiências com os ministérios da Justiça e do Meio Ambiente (MMA), com a Fundação Nacional do Índio (Funai) e com o órgão ambiental brasileiro, o Ibama. Só o MMA respondeu, dizendo que assunto não era de sua responsabilidade.

Mesmo sem reuniões agendadas, 20 lideranças Javaé, Xerente e Karajá vieram para a capital do país. Na tarde do dia 09, foram para a porta do Ministério da Justiça (MJ), na Esplanada dos Ministérios, pressionar para serem atendidos. Conseguiram. O MJ ordenou à Funai que recebesse o grupo, que se reuniu com presidente do órgão, Mércio Pereira Gomes. Uma surpresa, já que a gestão atual da Funai tem adotado uma política de receber pouquíssimos grupos indígenas.

A pauta com a Funai e o Ministério da Justiça era a homologação da terra Iñawébohona, que fica na Ilha do Bananal, sobre o rio Araguaia, no Tocantins. Há quase dois anos, em 12 de agosto de 2003, o processo de demarcação da terra chegou ao ministério, que tem a função de, em um prazo de 30 dias depois do recebimento, analisa-lo e, aprovando-o, encaminhá-lo ao presidente da República. Caso o processo seja desaprovado, ele deve voltar à Funai “mediante decisão fundamentada”.

Durante a reunião, Gomes não sabia dizer aos indígenas o que impedia o prosseguimento do processo de homologação da terra. Após três horas de reunião, telefonemas para o Ministério da Justiça e muita conversa, o presidente do órgão indigenista oficial admitiu que o processo havia voltado do MJ para a Funai. Mas ninguém ali sabia onde os papéis estavam. O processo estava “perdido”.

Na manhã desta quinta-feira, os indígenas voltaram à Funai. Diziam que não sairiam de lá sem cópia do processo. Depois de muita procura, o referido processo foi encontrado, e esclareceram o que ninguém parecia saber: o processo voltou para a Funai com a sugestão de que fosse criado um Grupo de Trabalho (GT) com Ibama e Funai para resolver o impasse colocado pelo Ibama, que administra o Parque Nacional do Araguaia, criado dentro da terra indígena. 

A sobreposição do parque em terras indígenas tem gerado problemas no dia-a-dia das comunidades, já que o Ibama tem restrições ao uso do espaço. O exemplo mais recente foi o impedimento da chegada de luz elétrica a algumas aldeias, que levou a não-construção de um poço artesiano. Sem eles, os Javaé continuam tendo que beber água do rio, poluída pelas plantações em volta da ilha. 

A Funai já havia se posicionado dizendo que os questionamentos do órgão ambiental não eram impedimento para a homologação da terra, pois os títulos que existem sobre uma terra indígena são nulos. Mas a Assessoria Jurídica do MJ voltou a recomendar a criação do GT em abril de 2005. Como a Funai não encaminhou o GT e tampouco questionou a sugestão do MJ, o processo ficou parado – e perdido – desde maio, na mais recente versão do “deixa-que-eu-deixo”.

Para tentar resolver o impasse, os Javaé conseguiram que fosse agendada mais uma reunião, na próxima sexta-feira, 12, com os presidentes da Funai, do Ibama e com o Ministério Público Federal. Afirmam estarem dispostos a não tomar o caminho de volta para casa sem uma resposta definitiva sobre os encaminhamentos necessários à homologação de sua terra.

FUNAI COMPROMETE-SE A DECLARAR TERRAS TUPINIKIM E GUARANI, NO ESPÍRITO SANTO

Uma audiência pública sobre a situação das terras dos povos Tupinikim e Guarani, no Espírito Santo, foi realizada ontem, dia 10, pela Comissão de Direitos Humanos e Minorias da Câmara dos Deputados, em Brasília. Parte do território indígena, que estava sob a posse da multinacional Aracruz Celulose e era utilizado para a plantação de eucaliptos, foi retomada pelos indígenas em maio deste ano. Desde então, indígenas e a empresa voltaram a disputar a terra.

“Nós não vamos abrir mão da terra. Podemos conversar sobre como será a indenização pelo que a empresa construiu ou plantou sobre ela, mas sobre a terra não abrimos mão”, afirmou o indígena Antonio Carvalho.

Para os indígenas, a audiência tinha como objetivo garantir o compromisso da Funai e do Ministério da Justiça para a publicação de uma portaria declaratória que finalmente reconheça a posse indígena sobre toda a área já antropologicamente reconhecida. Roberto Lustosa, da Funai, afirmou que o órgão indigenista pretende encaminhar a publicação, desde que não haja possibilidade de questionamentos judiciais. “A portaria só vai surgir depois que não houver risco de que ela seja logo em seguida contestada por uma decisão judicial”. Segundo ele, o governo considera que a portaria de demarcação de toda a extensão da terra, que foi substituída por outra, deverá ser resgatada: “A portaria de 1998 nunca contestou o laudo antropológico realizado pela Funai”, afirma.

Os indígenas já iniciaram a reconstrução de aldeias e afirmam que pretendem retirar da área o eucalipto. A terra, localizada no município de Aracruz, no Espírito Santo, é identificada antropologicamente pela Funai desde 1998 com cerca de 18.000 hectares, mas foi demarcada em ilhas totalizando 7.061 hectares depois de um acordo que passava à Aracruz o direito sobre parte da terra em troca de pagamentos. O acordo, firmado entre indígenas e a empresa em condições questionáveis, contou inicialmente com o apoio do Ministério Público Federal (MPF). Um mês depois, o próprio MPF passou a questionar a legitimidade do acordo, já que as terras indígenas são, por definição constitucional, inalienáveis.

Participaram da audiência lideranças indígenas dos dois povos, representantes da Funai e do Ministério da Justiça, o Ministério Público Federal e um representante da Aracruz Celulose, Carlos Alberto Roxo, que afirmou que a empresa deve entrar na Justiça para tentar garantir sua posse sobre a terra.

Brasília, 11 de agosto de 2005.

Cimi – Conselho Indigenista Missionário

Categories Arquivo

Os Povos Indígenas foram ouvidos?

O dia 09 de agosto, Dia Internacional dos Povos Indígenas instituído pela ONU, começou com uma audiência pública no Sindicato dos Bancários, em Recife, onde estiveram presentes 50 indígenas de 5 etnias (Pankará, Atikum, Xukuru, Truká e Kambiwá), representantes de várias entidades de direitos humanos, como o GAJOP e o Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanos, os deputados estaduais Isaltino Nascimento e Roberto Leandro, além do vereador Marcelo Santa Cruz. Os discursos enfatizaram a violência que os povos indígenas do estado vêm sofrendo nos últimos anos e a impunidade dos agressores que nunca são punidos.

A tarde houve uma sessão especial na Assembléia Legislativa de Pernambuco, onde os deputados Isaltino Nascimento e Roberto Leandro defenderem em plenário o interesse dos povos indígenas do estado.

Às 15 horas os índios das etnias Truká, Pankará, Atikum, Xukuru e Kambiwá distribuíram um texto pelas ruas de Recife, onde denunciaram o descaso do Estado Brasileiro e do Governo de Pernambuco referente ao estado de violência a que estão submetidos os povos indígenas de Pernambuco. “Esse clima de violência só tem crescido devido a certeza que os autores têm, que a impunidade reina”. Na Assembléia Legislativa, Casa de Joaquim Nanico, como os deputados se referem para falar da importância desta casa, foi feito um discurso do Deputado Isaltino Nascimento com um aparte do Deputado Roberto Leandro, onde homenagearam todas as populações indígenas e denunciaram o descaso, omissão e inoperância do atual governo estadual em não conseguir desenvolver políticas públicas adequadas a essas populações e o fato mais grave, não punir os agentes do Estado (policiais infratores) que, abordo do poder que lhes são conferidos, se acham no direito de decidirem quem vive ou morre dentro de um Estado “democrático de direito”.

Que país é este é a frase de uma música popular brasileira, e perguntamos nós das entidades que defendem os direitos humanos: Que Estado é esse, que supostamente deveria proteger a população com dignidade e que na verdade, impõe a égide do medo e da coação? Ficamos perplexos com o esvaziamento da Assembléia Legislativa, por parte dos deputados, que ao iniciar o pronunciamento do Deputado Isaltino Nascimento quase que deixaram a sessão em sua totalidade. Os representantes do povo, em sua maioria, foram indiferentes ao Dia Internacional dos Povos Indígenas, como também à violência que vem imperando dentro do Estado de Pernambuco.

Cimi – Regional Nordeste

Categories Arquivo

Indigenous peoples heard in the world?

Today, 9 August, the 11th International Day of the World´s Indigenous People was commemorated with several activities and messages all around the world.

José Antonio Ocampo, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said in New York in his message that “the Second International Decade of the World´s Indigenous People poses a critical test: Can we move irreversibly from commitment to action to markedly improve the situation of the world´s indigenous peoples?”

After the ten years of the First Decade it is time to act, to really solve the still existing problems of the more than 370 million indigenous peoples in the world: violations against their individual and collective human rights, the expulsion of their ancestral territories, the threatening of their cultures and identities, the discrimination and the extreme and chronic poverty.

In Brazil there was also attention for this International Day of commemoration.

In Recife, the northeast of Brazil, 50 Indians of five different peoples (Pankará, Atikum, Xukuru, Truká and Kambiwá) were present at a public audience. Also some representatives of social movements, a councilman and two state deputies listened to the discussions about the growing violence against the Indians in the state of Pernambuco last year. Special attention was paid to the impunity of the aggressors who never are punished.

In Brasília, the capital of Brazil, indigenous peoples tried to be heard by governmental institutes. After a lot of political pressure there was a meeting of twenty leaders of the Javaé with the president of Funai, the governmental institution on indigenous issues. The Javaé are already waiting for two years, since 12 of August 2003, for a decision of the Ministry of Justice to get the process of demarcation of their land going on. There are conflicts going on with IBAMA, the governmental organization that is in charge of the environment, about who is having the rights on the land. The situation is even that bad that the Javaé have to drink polluted water.

The Guarani and Tupinikim of the state Espirito Santo were with eight delegated Indians in Brasilia to talk with Funai, the governmental institution on indigenous issues, about the demarcation of 11.009 hectares of indigenous land. This land has been invaded in the past by Aracruz, the world-wide largest manufacturer of bleached Eucalyptus-pulp, which is used to make paper and exported to all over the world.

And in Brussels, in Belgium, at the European Commission, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations & European Neighborhood Policy, send a message of support and solidarity to indigenous people across the globe. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is a day for celebrating the cultural diversity and enormous contribution to humanity of the indigenous peoples of the world. “We believe that active cooperation with indigenous peoples is essential for poverty elimination, sustainable development, human rights and democracy. We respect their cultural identities and choices in shaping the social, economic and cultural development of their communities.”

Cimi, www.cimi.org.br

Cimi is a missionary organization that is working already more than 30 years with indigenous peoples in Brazil.

For further information contact: Geertje van der Pas, [email protected] Tel +55 61 21061650

Interested to keep informed about indigenous peoples in Brazil?

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter (english, portuguese or german) by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

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International Day of the World´s Indigenous People – 9 August 2005

This year it will be the 11th time: but is there a reason for celebration?

The eleventh International Day of the UN World´s Indigenous People will be commemorated in New York with presentations of indigenous peoples, a message of the Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and a panel discussion “The Cause of Indigenous Peoples is Ours”. Also the new film “Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations” will be screened.

In 2005 the Second International Decade of the World´s Indigenous Peoples has started. Which means that within 10 years time we were not able to solve the problems of indigenous people in the areas of human rights, environment, development, education and health.

In Brazil we can only confirm that the problems on indigenous issues are not solved:

– Only eight indigenous lands have been recognized by the Government this year; still more then 500 lands are on the list.

– Since the beginning of 2005 40 children of the Guarani in Mato Grosso do Sul have died of malnutrition or other related diseases.

– 23 Indians were killed in the first half of this year. In the last two months four Indians were murdered, two of them by the military police, two by gunmen.

– Leaders of indigenous peoples are more and more criminalized.

– There are more than 50 proposals to change the law on indigenous rights, mentioned in the Constitution of 1988.

– The deforestation of the Amazon, where the majority of the indigenous peoples of Brazil are living, has been growing last year with 6% (in total 26.130 km2) due to (illegal) logging and the upcoming soya business.

In the northeast of Brazil, in the State of Pernambuco, there will be an audience on the 9th of August to inform the public about the latest crimes against the Truká Indians. Two Truká Indians were killed on the 30th of June and when on 11 July the leader of the Truká, Aurivan dos Santos, went to a nearby federal police station to make a statement about the killing of his brother, he was arrested. The police justified this on the basis of an arrest warrant issued in 2003 for alleged theft of cattle. The Truká say they had paid for the cattle, and have receipts to prove it. This case was denunciated at the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) in Geneva (18-22 July).

Only one of the examples to make clear that the 11th International Day of the World´s Indigenous People is necessary to get the attention of the public. The public opinion is a effective force for change. Its power will make it more difficult, and hopefully in the end impossible, for governments and companies to oppress indigenous peoples.

Background information (5 August 2005)Around 735.000 indigenous people are living in Brazil.These indigenous peoples are living in different ways: some are living in their own areas, some are living in the city, others are not been contacted yet and live completely isolated. There are also groups who had to hide their indigenous identity for decades, because of prejudice and violence. Only now they restart identifying themselves as indigenous peoples. They are divided in 235 different peoples and staying in 24 of the 27 states of Brazil. In the last 500 years 1470 peoples have been eradicated, most of them were living in the north of Brazil (820). There are 180 different languages spoken by these peoples.841 Areas are recognized as indigenous areas. Of those 841 only 311 areas are officially registered.

www.cimi.org.br

For further information contact: Geertje van der Pas, [email protected] Tel +55 61 21061650

Interested to keep informed about indigenous peoples in Brazil?

 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter (english, portuguese or german) by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

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Violence against indigenous peoples in Brazil denunciated in Geneva

The twenty-third session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) will meet at the United Nations Office in Geneva from 18 to 22 July 2005. The main theme of this year’s session is “Indigenous peoples and the international and domestic protection of traditional knowledge”.

The Truká Indigenous people, Cimi (Indigenous Missionary Council) and Global Justice will denunciate in Geneva the increasing violence against indigenous peoples in Brazil. 18 Indigenous people have been murdered since the beginning of 2005.

Edilene Bezerra, a representative of the Truká, will be present in Geneva. The Truká live in the northeast of Brazil, in the state Pernambuco. The indigenous land measures 5.769 hectares; it is demarcated, but president Lula has not put his signature yet.

Edilene will talk about the increasing violence and the executions of two of her people by the Military Police last month. These denunciations in the international world are mend to put pressure on the national institutions, like the Federal Police and the judicial instances, to guarantee a fair process in these violence cases. In Brazil it is not unusual that the denunciations by social movements or poor people itself are not considered by the judicial institutions.

This happened, for example, with the denunciations of death threats the Guajajara were receiving, just before the assassination of the leader of the Guajajara. They went to the police, but the police did not do anything to protect the indigenous people, nor searched to inquire the denunciations. Another example happened in 2001, when two members of the Truká were murdered, probably with participation of the Military Police as well. The denunciations of the Truká before the assassinations were ignored by the police.

It is important that the United Nations put pressure on the Brazilian Government to assure the physical and cultural integrity of the indigenous people who live in Brazil. And besides this the denunciations of Edilene Truká can be included in the reports of the United Nations that are published worldwide.

Brasília, 20th of July, 2005

CIMI, www.cimi.org.br

CIMI is an Missionary Indigenous Organization

that is already working more than 30 years with indigenous peoples in Brazil

For further information contact:

Geertje van der Pas

[email protected] 

Tel +55 61 21061650

Interested to keep informed about indigenous peoples in Brazil?

 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter (english, portuguese or german) by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Categories Arquivo

Four indigenous people killed within a month time

Brazil – It started at May 21. An indigenous man, José Araújo Guajajara, 70 years, was shot death in the state of Maranhão, in the north of Brazil. His son of 28 years old was heavenly injured. The crime took place after threats of a farmer and shortly after the assassination the farmer was set to prison. Seven more people where involved, among which two sons of the farmer. They were the ones that actually killed José Araújo Guajajara. Against them the police has given an arrest warrant. But until today they have not been caught.

Last Sunday, 26th of May, another indigenous man was killed. This time the crime happened in Mato Grosso, a state in the east of Brazil. Indigenous people (Kaiowá Guarani) were returning to their land, which is occupied by farmers. Originally it is indigenous land, but the formal process of getting the land back is very slow. Soon after the Kaiowá Guarani start building their huts, two pickup trucks with around thirty gunmen arrived. They start shooting at the group and Dorival Benitez was shot death. His brother Ari and two others were injured. Besides this the gunmen also pulled out of their truck Silvio and his wife Rosane, four months pregnant, start kicking and beating them and set the truck on fire.

Until now nobody has been arrested.

And since yesterday evening (30th of June) another sad fact can be added on this list of terror. Two Truká indigenous people were murdered in Pernambuco, the west of Brazil, and another one was injured. The victims are Adenilson dos Santos of 38 years and his son Jorge dos Santos of only 17 years. They were present at a party, which was going on after the visit of Minister Gomes of Funai, the Governmental Indigenous Council, at the indigenous land. According to reliable sources military policemen were also present at the party, with the purpose of killing Adenilson. Adenilson was shot in his back. The bodies were taken to the hospital and returned back to the indiginous area without any research done.

All these crimes are directly or indirectly related to land issues. According to the Brazilian Constitution of 1988 indigenous people have the right to live on their traditional lands. But until now this is only realized for 313 of the 841 indigenous areas.

CIMI, www.cimi.org.br

CIMI is an Missionary Indigenous Organization that is already working more than 30 years with indigenous peoples in Brazil

For further information contact:

Geertje van der Pas

[email protected]

Tel +55 61 33227582

Interested to keep informed about indigenous peoples in Brazil? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter (english, portuguese or german) by sending an email to [email protected].

Categories Arquivo

Disputa entre indígenas e Aracruz Celulose é tema de audiência na Câmara dos Deputados

Uma audiência pública sobre a situação das terras Tupinikim e Guarani será realizada amanhã (dia 10) pela Comissão de Direitos Humanos e Minorias da Câmara dos Deputados, em Brasília. A audiência ocorre a partir das 14h30, no plenário 9 do Anexo 2 da Câmara.

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No Tocantins, Ibama coloca Javaé em risco

A ação do Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (Ibama) no estado do Tocantins tem colocado em risco a sobrevivência física e cultural do povo indígena Javaé.

Os Javaé foram proibidos pelo Ibama de caçar, pescar, colher palha de piaçava para construção  casa e, até mesmo, de construir um poço artesiano para o consumo de água, devido à proteção da  Unidade de Conservação do Parque  Nacional Araguaia, criada em sobreposição a terra indígena Iñawébohona.

Para pressionar o governo pela imediata homologação de sua terra, uma comitiva de 20 lideranças Javaé está em Brasília onde, nos próximos dias, deve se reunir com autoridades ligadas ao Ministério da Justiça, Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Fundação Nacional do Índio (Funai) e Ibama.

A insistência do Ibama de retirar os Javaé de sua terra tradicional tem seus embates no judiciário.Em maio deste ano, o Ibama entrou na Justiça para embargar uma obra do governo federal na terra Javaé, o programa “Luz para todos” — que leva energia elétrica até a aldeia. Sem energia elétrica, ficou estabelecida a impossibilidade da realização de um outro programa do governo federal, por parte da Fundação Nacional de Saúde, que oferece a construção de um poço artesiano para a solução do problema de saneamento básico. Com isto, o povo Javaé é obrigado a beber água do rio Javaé contaminada com agrotóxico que vem das fazendas que estão entorno da terra Iñawébohona.

Anteriormente, o Ibama havia entrado com dois mandados judiciais, nos anos de  2000 e 2001, impedindo a construção da escola Javaé de ensino básico. Somente em 2004, foi possível construir a escola.

Se a fiscalização é rigorosa com os Javaé, por outro lado, as lideranças acusam o Ibama de ignorar a ação dos invasores da terra indígena, que constantemente retiram do rio Javaé toneladas de caça de tartaruga e pesca de pirosca (peixe em extinção). 
 

A liderança Javaé, Paulo Huruka, afirma que, além dos impactos físico e cultural, existe ainda o impacto psicológico sobre a população, em especial, sobre os mais velhos que temem serem expulsos de suas aldeias. “Devido à situação, os mais velhos passam um bom tempo dizendo que nós seremos expulsos”, diz Huruka.

A incompatibilidade da sobreposição de unidades de conservação sobre terras indígenas não serve como argumento para não homologação. Outras terras em mesma situação de sobreposição de unidade de conservação e terras indígenas tiveram seu processo de demarcação concluído. O exemplo mais recente foi a do decreto de homologação da terra indígena Raposa Serra do Sol em Roraima, onde a proteção da Unidade de Conservação é de responsabilidade dos povos que lá vivem.

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Absurdo: Policial que executou Shanenewá com tiro na cabeça é absolvido

O policial militar, Rossini José de Moura, que assassinou barbaramente Raimundo Silvino, do povo Shanenawá, com um tiro à queima roupa na cabeça, foi absolvido ontem a noite (dia 4) em júri popular por seis votos a um. Em julgamento realizado no município de Feijó (AC), os jurados acataram a tese dos advogados do policial que alegaram legítima defesa.

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