Number 369, October 8, 1999.
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In this week's issue:
>NEWS BRIEFS
- Abuse of human rights continue in state of Parana
- Paxato and Pataxo Ha ha hae retake land in national park
- Study reveals that Brazilians believe problem with education is low teacher salaries
- "Citizens’ March through Brazil" arrives in Brasilia
>HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES
- Amnesty International reports on 7th Anniversary of the Carandiru Massacre
NEWS BRIEFS
- Abuse of human rights continue in state of Parana
Two rural workers in Parana, Antonio Morales and Joao Saraiva, were imprisoned on September 1st after military police evicted a MST (Movement of rural workers Without Land) occupation in the interior of the state. As soon as the police found out about the occupation, they immediately sent troops to the site. Around four in the afternoon, they surrounded the encampment and prevented people from entering or exiting. Among the police, five officers were hooded. When night fell, men were separated from women and were threatened with guns and dogs. The tools of the workers were confiscated and loaded in three trucks, and the workers were forced to ride in the same trucks, on top of the tools. The rest of the belongings were burned. Morales and Saraiva were accused of being the leaders of the occupation, and were beaten and taken to prison, though they were released the next day.
After all of the denouncements that Parana governor Jaime Lerner has received regarding the way his government is handling land occupations, he continues to use the same abusive tactics.
Source: Jornal dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra
September, 1999
- Paxato and Pataxo Ha ha hae retake land in national park
Two indigenous groups, the Paxato and the Paxato Ha ha hae, have decided to reclaim land in the Monte Pascoal National Park in the southern part of the state of Bahia where the European "discovery" of Brazil took place. The groups were tired of waiting for the government to make a decision about whether or not the land belong to them or not. The Paxatos were evicted from the lands after the European invasion, and continue to be victims of violence. "It is impossible to talk about the 500 years of the invasion of our territory without remembering the suffering and the violence against the indigenous people when continues even today," said leaders of the groups. The land in Monte Pascoal was made into a protected forest reserve, although it is public knowledge that lumber companies have been invading the area and chopping down trees. Instead of taking action against the lumber companies, the government has been busy trying to pass on the idea that the Pataxos are destroyers of the forest. While it is true that the groups do use some wood to sustain themselves, it is no where near what the lumber companies are taking.
Source: Poratim
September 1999
- Study reveals that Brazilians believe problem with education is low teacher salaries
In a study done by Ibope, 68% of Brazilians believe that the fundamental problem with Brazilian education is low teacher salaries. The study, supported by various Non-Governmental Organizations such as Britain’s ActionAid, revealed that Brazilians also believe that the second biggest problem is that most students have to work to help sustain their families. The third problem was that schools are lacking didactic material. Seventy-eight percent of those interviewed believe that the government should help families by giving out scholarships, should increase teacher salaries, and should guarantee a place in school for every child.
Meanwhile, in Brasilia, the CNTE (National Confederation of Workers in Education) is marching against the government. The group is highlighting what it considers to be some of the principal problems in education: the excessive number of students in classrooms, the large numbers involved in child labor, and the reduction of space for students, especially at the pre-school level. The union is demanding that the government spend at least 10% of the Gross National Product on education (current level is 4.5%).
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
October 5 & 6, 1999
- "Citizens’ March through Brazil" arrives in Brasilia
On July 26, 1,100 Brazilian citizens began a protest march in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The march was a sign of the people’s discontent with the social policies the Cardoso government has implemented during its tenure. Walking 1,580 kilometers in sometimes quite adverse conditions, the group finally arrived in the nation’s capital, Brasilia, some two months later. Their arrival in the capital was marked as a day of protest. Six thousand people joined the group to protest in front of the offices of the International Monetary Fund, who most believe is the culprit controlling the puppet strings of the Cardoso government. The president of the Central Bank, Arminio Fraga, granted an audience with representatives from the march. They gave to him a black box labeled, "For the White House, Washington, D.C." Inside the box was a U.S. flag. Fraga grabbed the Brazilian flag, covered the box, and assured the group that the Brazilian flag is his. (Fraga has dual citizenship as his mother is a U.S. citizen and his father a Brazilian.)
HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES
- Amnesty International reports on 7th Anniversary of the Carandiru Massacre
* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International * News Service: 182/99 AI INDEX: AMR 19/25/99 1 October 1999
Brazil
7th Anniversary of Carandiru massacre: contempt and neglect for 111 lives
The appalling delay in bringing those responsible for the Carandiru massacre to justice underscores the contempt and neglect in which prisoners are held in Brazil, Amnesty International said on the eve of the 7th anniversary of the incident.
The organization called upon the Brazilian authorities not to let the police, who killed 111 prisoners seven years ago, get away scot-free.
"The Carandiru massacre was one of the most horrific incidents ever documented by Amnesty International in Brazil," said Fiona Macaulay, researcher on the country.
"It is incredible that seven years on, not a single policeman has been brought to justice. The Brazilian authorities must confront the issue of impunity as a key step to ending the killing and torture of prisoners."
Military police stormed Latin Americas largest prison, the Casa da Detenção (popularly known as Carandiru) in São Paulo state on 2 October 1992 after a riot broke out. When they withdrew after an 11 hour killing spree, 111 inmates were left dead.
The officer commanding the operation was subsequently elected to political office, choosing the number 111 as his electoral ticket. Until January 1999 he benefitted from parliamentary immunity, but in June the courts decided that he should face a jury trial. Eighty-five other policemen were not charged until March 1998.
Every year prisoners die at the hands of police, guards or other prisoners, or from sheer medical neglect. But the Brazilian authorities do not know who they are, how many they are, or what could have been done to prevent their deaths.
Amnesty International is currently engaged in an international campaign for a complete structural overhaul to Brazil’s penal system. As part of that campaign, a delegation from the organizations International Secretariat will be visiting Brazil from 4-8 October to discuss concrete measures for reform with the authorities.
As well as calling for a strategy to tackle impunity, the delegation will be urging the setting up of an inspection and monitoring system to expose and prevent human rights violations against detainees.
Amnesty Internationals latest report on Brazil -- No One Here Sleeps Safely, published in June --highlights pockets of good practice in the country but also reveals that tens of thousands of Brazilian detainees are held in inhumane and life-threatening conditions, and are at constant risk of violent death and torture.
ENDS.../ Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, WC1X 8DJ, London, United Kingdom ****************************************************************
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