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Bundesgeschäftsstelle Langemarckstr. 210 28199 Bremen
Tel.: 0421 / 598 28 8 |
Pressestelle Nernstweg 32 22765 Hamburg
Tel.: 040 / 380 892 0 |
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Hamburg, 20th February 2006
On 20 January, the dispute over land rights peaked in a violent move by
the police. 120 federal policemen, acting on the initiative of Aracruz,
destroyed the Indian villages Corrego do Ouro and Olho de Agua in Espirito
Santo. They fired rubber projectiles at the Indians and hounded the
fleeing people from helicopters. More than a dozen people were injured.
Representatives of ROBIN WOOD and the Green Desert Movement from Brazil
has confronted P&G with photos of the brutal attacks; they show Indians
with bleeding gunshot wounds and policemen in helicopters aiming their
rifles at the people who are fleeing. Three P&G representatives
participated in the meeting in Frankfurt am Main, including George
Carpenter, P&G Environmental Director from the USA. It was revealed during
the meeting that P&G, according to its own information, has not once met
with the affected Indians or the relevant NGOs in Brazil, although ROBIN
WOOD called P&G's attention to the massive problems with its cellulose
supplier ten months ago.
"Procter & Gamble continues to buy its cellulose in Brazil as if nothing
had happened. The international corporation denies any share of
responsibility for the conflict. But the suffering of many people in
Brazil is a part of every Tempo tissue. When the consumers here learn
about that, many of them will leave these products on the shelves," says
Peter Gerhardt, rain forest specialist at ROBIN WOOD.
This recent action by the police was intended to break the resistance of
the Tupinikim and Guarani against Aracruz Celulose. They are fighting to
regain 11,000 hectares of land which Aracruz has not returned to them
although the Brazilian Indian agency FUNAI recognized this area as
indigenous territory as far back as 1998. Aracruz drove the Indians away
from this territory during the Brazilian military dictatorship so that a
eucalyptus monoculture for cellulose could be planted. An end to the
conflicts is not in sight. The Indians have in the meantime returned to
their destroyed villages and have begun rebuilding.
In contrast to Procter & Gamble, the Swedish royal family quickly reacted
to the bloody displacement and rid itself of all of its investments in
Aracruz. ROBIN WOOD is encouraging everyone to participate in an
online protest (www.robinwood.de/tempo) so that P&G will also see reason.
You will find recent photos, eye-witness reports, research reports and the
letter to P&G as well at www.robinwood.de/tempo
ROBIN WOOD
To
UNITED STATES
Hamburg, 2006-02-20
on January 20th 120 federal policemen carried out a war operation to take
the Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous peoples in Espirito Santo state out
of the 11,009 hectares of lands they had taken back peacefully in May
2005. People were wounded by rubber bullets and hunted with helicopters.
This violent action was initiated by Aracruz-Celulose. This is the latest
drama in the land conflict between Aracruz Celulose and the Tupinikim and
Guarani.
Procter& Gamble (P&G) is one of the two main customers of Aracruz
Celulose. Therefore you share responsibility for the violent police
action. Since more then 10 month we keep your company already informed
about this conflict, but so far P&G took not initiative to shift its fiber
sourcing towards sustainability.
We talked to a P&G delegation on January 26th in Frankfurt about this
violent incident. Although P&G promised to investigate the case and we are
aware that P&G is still busy doing this, we believe, that this is neither
sufficient nor adequate.
We urge P&G to come up immediately with a PUPLIC STATEMENT, which clearly
highlights what will be the consequences - in a binding timeframe - for
P&G regarding this violent action.
If the land conflict is not solved in a very short period - and this can
only mean that Aracruz gives back the indigenous territory without any
preconditions- P&G has to quit its business relationship with Aracruz.
Regards
Peter Gerhardt, campaigner tropical forests
peter.gerhardt@robinwood.de
Find attached a more detailed statement of the Green Desert Network
We are bewildered and shocked, and feel a deep indignation looking at the
police action, since we live in what is considered to be a democratic
country, a signatory of the International Treaty on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, and led by an ex-worker and ex-persecuted person by the
Military Dictatorship: Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva.
It is important to make clear that:
1. Since the Tupinikim and Guarani demarcated the 11,009 hectares
that belongs to them, according to studies realized by the FUNAI (The
Federal Governmental Indigenous Agency), and recognized in 1998 by the
ex-Minister of Justice Iris Rezende, Aracruz Celulose repeatedly affirmed
that they were against the use of violence against the Indians. However,
Aracruz assumed a leading role in the police action on 20 January that
resulted in at least 13 wounded Indians, of whom two had to be treated in
hospital in Aracruz town; one of them, João Mateus - Chief of Comboios -
stayed alone for several hours, wounded and losing a lot of blood. The
Indians were hit by rubber bullets, fired by federal policemen who also
were armed with tear gas and sub-machine guns. For more than one hour, the
police "hunted" Indians by helicopter at the Olho de Água village,
shooting at them and persecuting them. Two indigenous leaders were
arrested violently; the police broke the arm of one of them, Paulo de
Oliveira. It is important to mention that the machines used for the
destruction of the indigenous houses in Córrego do Ouro and Olho de Água
were from the Aracruz company. In Olho de Água, policemen even set fire to
everything. In spite of their barbarism, the Federal Police did not
succeed in removing the Indians from Olho de Água, which the Indians are
already rebuilding.
2. The Public Prosecution Service in the Espírito Santo state was
not involved, although this was necessary according to the judge's
decision. The National FUNAI in Brasília was informed, but the Regional
Coordinator of the FUNAI, Waldemar Krenak, and the two local FUNAI heads
(Ronaldo Batista and Maria Fátima de Oliveira) stated that they were not
even told about the police action. The attorney André Pimentel,
responsible for indigenous issues, described the action as "completely
illegal". The two FUNAI-members Fátima and Ronaldo affirmed that they were
pressured by federal police agents and taken to the the Guest House of
Aracruz Celulose S/A, where the headquarters of the police operation was.
It was there that they learned about the judge's decision and the police
suggested they could accompany the policemen in their operation. The two
arrested Indians were also taken to the Guest House of the Aracruz
company, where they were kept handcuffed for several hours. The fact that
the headquarters of the operation was the Guest House of Aracruz Celulose
S/A was proven by Federal Parliamentarian Iriny Lopes, also President of
the Federal Congress Human Rights Commission, and the State
Parliamentarian Carlos Casteglione who were there on the 20th at night.
3. The Brazilian Federal Police is politically and governmentally
subordinate to the Minister of Justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, who is
therefore responsible for this action. However, what really strikes us is
that the Ministry of Justice had reached an understanding with the
indigenous communities over the procedure to come to a rapid official
recognition of the self-demarcated indigenous lands, involving other
actors such as the federal attorney, FUNAI, Human Rights Commission of the
National Congress, state parliamentarians and supporting organizations,
agreeing also to prevent any eviction of the Indians from the occupied
area.
4. We notice that this police action has been carefully planned in
a month in which many Brazilian people are on holiday, diminishing
significantly the rhythm of functioning of governmental and
non-governmental institutions. Moreover, those who planned the action
chose a Friday, for sure to minimize even more the repercussion in the
national and international public opinion, and reduce the possibilities of
suspending the action by political or judicial means. When the judge's
decision was suspended, also on 20 January, by the Federal Regional Court
of the 2nd Region in Rio de Janeiro, the Indians had already been expelled
from the village of Córrego de Ouro.
We want to express here our solidarity with the Tupinikim and Guarani
communities, with their Chiefs and leaders, and praise their courage and
determination. We hope that this violent action will strengthen even more
the union of these peoples and their allies. For sure, the indigenous
struggle will be victorious because it is based on an undeniable right and
it is being waged in a peaceful way, led by Chiefs and leaders who are
concerned about the future of their people. And definitely, Aracruz will
not be victorious in this struggle, once the company has chosen the way of
lies and violence, all in order to guarantee the financial profits of its
shareholders.
We appeal to all that you express your opinion about this action against
the Tupinikim and Guarani, and about the need of the demarcation of their
lands. At this very moment, the collaboration of all who support the
indigenous struggle is important!
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©ROBIN WOOD
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