Number 430, December 15, 2000.
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In this week's issue:
>NEWS BRIEFS
- Violence over land increases
- Trial of assassin of Margarida Maria Alves postponed
>INDIGENOUS ISSUES
- Outsourcing indigenous health presents problems
>URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- MST asks for immediate release of leaders after judge issues opinion
NEWS BRIEFS
- Violence over land increases
The National Forum for Agrarian Reform, Justice in the Countryside, and the National Movement for Human Rights released this week the latest statistics from 1999 on violence in the countryside over land issues. In 1999, there were 832 land conflicts in Brazil involving 602,890 rural workers. Of this number, there were 27 assassinations. The National Movement for Human Rights, a French group, provided the numbers after extensive interviews with rural workers throughout all of Brazil. "Contrary to what the federal government is saying, violence in the countryside has not diminished. The lack of agrarian reform is reflected in the considerable increase in land conflicts," states the report. In the opinion of many in Brazilian social movements, the violence over land is an institutional violence. "To the large landowners, everything is given: land, power and guns. Violence over land in the countryside is under protection by the State, which has become a participant of this violence through omission," commented Workers’ Party leader, Luci Choinacki.
Source: Linha Aberta with the collaboration of Osmar Gomes
December 12, 2000
- Trial of assassin of Margarida Maria Alves postponed
The trial of rancher Jose Buarque Gusmao, who is being charged with the murder of Margarida Maria Alves, has been postponed once again. The prosecution was able to obtain a court order to move the trial to the state capital of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa; however, the defense has alleged that there were some irregularities in the decision. Hence, the trial has been put on hold for the fourth time. Human rights observers say that the postponement was a good decision so as to avoid an annulment of a jury’s decision later. Ms. Alves was assassinated on August 12, 1983, after her involvement in legal proceedings against a group of ranchers. The investigation into her death began three years after the assassination because of popular pressure. (For more information of the case, see past issues of News from Brazil on our web site.)
Source: Linha Aberta
December 12, 2000
INDIGENOUS ISSUES
- Outsourcing indigenous health presents problems
Gathered together at the Cimi National Health Meeting held on 24-26 November, missionaries belonging to the entity released a document complaining that the official policy with regard to the health of the indigenous population complies with neo-liberal interests and reflects the government's adoption of stranglehold tactics. In 1993, the 2nd National Indigenous Health Conference established as its guideline the Policy to Attend for Indigenous Health by setting up a Health Subsystem based on Special Indigenous Sanitary Districts (DSEIs), with administrative, financial and budgetary autonomy. The government implemented 34 districts and outsourced health attendance by signing agreements with state and municipal governments and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The District Councils created in the regions to inspect and plan actions and define the volume of resources used fulfill a purely figurative role. The government proceeded to control the actions of the outsourced services, performing what should be the function of civil society.
In the document prepared at the National Health Meeting, Cimi denounced that the policy of agreements leads to centralizing the powers of coordinating, defining and deciding on health priorities in the hands of third parties rather than in indigenous communities through local and district councils, as defined at the 2nd National Indigenous Health Conference. The councils have lost their function and find it difficult to participate in drawing up the health policy within the districts.
The official health policy has inverted the logic of the collective and participative proposal elaborated in Indigenous Health Conferences. The document argues that "the model implemented by the government conditions indigenous health care to the "good will" of those who set the terms of the agreement, defines actions that come from above, and calculates inside official bureaus the budget to be allocated to implementing the services, including budget cuts." The functioning of the DSEIs is submitted to the political situation and the struggle for power inside the government.
Cuts in resources
The financial problems began one year after the agreements were implemented. The National Health Foundation (Funasa) admits that the budget requested for the first year was R$ 106 million intended for structuring the DSEIs and for permanent care for the indigenous population. This amount, however, was lowered to R$ 80 million in the proposal sent by the Ministry of Health for the National Congress's approval of the General Budget for the Union in 2001. The Director of the ministerial Department of Indigenous Health, Ubiratan Pedrosa Moreira, claims that this budget will be approved without any more cuts and that there will be no further contingency blocking of part of the resources, which is a common practice in the federal government. According to Funasa, the remainder of the funds (R$ 26 million) is guaranteed.
The Pró-Yanomami Committee (CCPY) claims that Funasa asked the agencies for a work plan that projected financial cuts of around 45% to attend to the Yanomami Sanitary District (DSY), the "Casa da Cura Hekura Yano" (Hekura Yano Health Care Center) and the "Casa do Índio" (Indian House) in Roraima. The entities are to submit their work proposals by 15 December. According to the CCPY, the cuts make it impossible to ensure minimum activities for the functioning of the present health system, and place the survival of the Yanomami in jeopardy.
Source: Cimi
December 7, 2000
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- MST asks for immediate release of leaders after judge issues opinion
Sao Paulo Procurator of Justice, Dr. Jose Ricardo Peirao Rodrigues, gave a judicial opinion this week that six leaders of the MST (Movement of rural workers Without Land) are being illegally and unjustly held in prison. The case involves an action of the MST which happened on November 10, 1999. The MST was promoting protests against the imposition of new toll booths on the nation’s highways. At one particular toll booth in Boituva, Sao Paulo, protesters clashed with police, and in the mayhem, the toll booths were destroyed. Six leaders of the MST were singled out and put into jail, where they have remained. The six have claimed that they are innocent. After reviewing the case, Dr. Rodrigues concluded that there is insufficient proof that these particular six were involved in the destruction of the toll booths, and that the men are being held for political reasons; i.e., the government is holding them prisoners as a warning to other members of the MST. On Thursday of this week, the six prisoners announced that they would begin a hunger strike.
The MST is asking for letters and messages to be sent to the authorities below requesting that the six leaders, Valquimar Reis Fernandes, Rosalino Bispo de Oliveira, Elvis Ferreira Lima, Odair Moraes da Rosa, Benedito Ismael Alves Cardoso and Edmar Pereira dos Santos, be released immediately.
1. Justice Tribunal of Sao Paulo
President of the Justice Tribunal
Desembargador Márcio Bonilha
Praça da Sé, S/N - Palácio da Justiça
01001-000 - SP - Brasil
FAX: 11 232 9366 ou 232 6890
gab1@tj.sp.gov.br
2. President of the Republic
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Palácio do Planalto
70150-900
Brasília - DF - Brasil
FAX: 61 441 2222 ou 224 0289
pr@planalto.gov.br
3. Minister of Justice
Dr. José Gregori
Esplanada dos Ministérios - B1 T
70064-900
Brasília - DF - Brasil
FAX: 61 218 3000 ou 224 0954
acs@mj.gov.br
4. Governor of the State of Sao Paulo
Mário Covas
Av. Morumbi, 4500
06598-900
São Paulo - SP - Brasil
FAX: 3745 3311
saopaulo@sp.gov.br
5. Secretary of Justice and Defense of Citizenry of Sao Paulo
Secretário Edson Vismona
11 31065545 ou 3106 5181
justica@justica.sp.gov.br
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