NEWS FROM BRAZIL supplied by AGEN (Agencia de Noticias) and Servico Espiritano de Justica e Paz.

Number 7. December 5,1991

RURAL WORKERS:

Contag Congress. A great circle of persons "hugging" the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Social Welfare on November 28 symbolized the pressure which rural workers are putting on the federal government to solve the problems of agrarian reform and social welfare benefits. The action was carried out by the participants of the 5th National Congress of Rural Workers, promoted by The National Confederation of Agrecultural Workers (CONTAG), which occured on November 26 - 30. The congress brought together 2095 delegates and more than 400 guests or advisors. Six main themes were dealt with: trade unionism; workers' participation in national issues; the struggle for agrarian reform; the struggle for small landowners; the struggle of salaried workers; and health and social welfare.

Regarding trade unionism, the participants of the 5th Congress recognized that the Sole Central of Workers (CUT) is the union that most identifies itself with the struggle of rural workers, and urged all grassroots labor groups to study carefully this statement. The defense of the parlamentary system of government with proportional vote, the rejection of advancing the revision of the Constitution, and the proposal to annul the mandate of federal representatives who change their party affiliation during their term of office were the principal decisions in terms of national issues. The intensification of occupying lands and resistence to being expelled from these lands were approved as part of the struggle for agrarian reform. President Collor's decision on November 22 to create another study group on agrarian reform was condemned, because the project does not have a clear objective, it does not have space for rural workers to participate, and it once again includes the military in the agrarian issue.

Regarding small land ownership, it was decided that this term means only land which is worked by family labor and the creation of a new term, "mini-ownership", was proposed for properties with less than one unit of land.

Three directives were given in regards to salaried workers: the recommendation of collective negotiation instead of judicial negotiation; the defending of collective work contracts; and the prohibition of the use of agrotoxics.

Because the State is responsible, according to the Constitutions, for the functioning of a unified and decentralized health system, the 5th Congress participants decided that third party health care agreements should not be an action priority for unions. The new directorship of CONTAG is: Francisco Urbano (president); Juarez Lopes Pereira (secretary general); Jose Raimundo Andrade (secretary for salaried workers); Italico Cielo (secretary for agricultural policy); and Francisco Sales de Oliveira (secretary for agrarian reform). The new directorship entrusted the secretary general with the issue of international relations, and the vice-president with work in the formation of unions and in the organization of women. More information can be obtained by phoning (061) 321-2288

POLITICAL PARTIES:

Workers' Party Congress. " We will end the 1st Congress united and more aware of our tasks", said Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, president of the Workers' Party (PT), at the closing of the 1st PT Congress, which occured from November 27 - December 1, at the Vera Cruz Pavillion, in Sao Bernardo do Campo, in the ABC Paulista region. During the 50 hours of votes and debates, various proposals for the party's future were presented. For example, while federal deputy Ernesto Gradella, member of the Convergencia Socialista wing of the party, feared that the PT might become social-democratic, the party's secretary-general, Jose Dirceu, affirmed that "the struggle for expanding democracy must happen in the context of the defense of the rights of citizens with the current distribution of income." These were some of the decisions ofthe 1st Congress: the defense of the rights of citizenship in the context of democratic socialism; the participation of women in 30% of party leadership positions; the limitation of the activities of the party's various wings (they will not be able to have their own headquarters, journal, or be financially independent); a deeper examination of the policy to combat racism; the national campaign, "What is Education Good For?"; international exchanges on the experience of political formation of other parties; policy of alliances in the 1992 municipal elections; and among others, the perspective of continuing to be a concrete alternative of government for the country.

GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS:

Murder of housing movement lawyer. Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns and representatives of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo, the Teotonio Vilela Commissison, the Santo Dias Human Rights Center, the Violence Study Group of the University of Sao Paulo published, on November 29, and open letter to the Governor and the Secretary of Public Safety of the State of Sao Paulo. Cardinal Arns and the organizations protested the slowness of the investigation into the death of lawyer Fausto Ribeiro da Silva Filho on August 13,1991, on a busy street in Vila Curuca, in the Sao Miguel Paulista region of Sao Paulo. Fausto Ribeiro defended the landless, the favela dwellers and poor workers in the Eastern Zone of the city, where 29 areas of land conflict exist, involving squatters and favela residents in disputes with land-grabbers.

What follows is the open letter entitled, " The Murder of the Black Lawyer Fausto Ribeiro da Silva Filho".

"We representatives of human rights organizations and of the civil society, of housing movements, labor movements, organizations representative of various professional categories, base Christian communities, family and friends of lawyer Fausto Ribeira da Silva Filho, who was cowardly assassinated on August 13,1991, came before the public to ask the Governor of the State of Sao Paulo to take steps for the immediate examination of this crime.

Fausto, who was black, worked as a lawyer in the Pro-Victim project, in the Eastern Zone of Sao Paulo, defending the landless and those living in favelas. He also acted in defense of the poor, the workers,and those less fortunate. He was murdered with three gunshots to the head at three o'clock in the afternoon on a heavily travelled street in Vila Curuca, in Sao Miguel Paulista.

Three months later, the murderers remain free. Investigations are practically at a standstill. assassinations in the Eastern Zone are a constant happening. They are almost never brought to light, contrary to crimes practiced against the rich in the wealthier regions of Sao Paulo, like Alphaville, Moema, or Morumbi. In these cases, the police apprehend the murderers in a few days and they are even brought to trial and condemned in a few months.

In the Eastern Zone of Sao Paulo alone, there are 29 imminent conflicts, involving squatters and favela dwellers in dispute with land-grabbers. The violence caused by these conflicts increases every day. Land-grabbers threaten lawyers, priests, and pastoral workers who support the revindications of the landless and favela dwellers.

Our Lady of Fatima Church, in Vila Curuca, where Fausto Ribeiro da Silva gave legal assistance, was broken into during the night of November 14. unknown persons turned two rooms upside down in search of documents, but took nothing of worth. The doors

of the secretary's and the sacristan's rooms were broken less than 24 hours after a commission of priests and members of a grassroots organizations had gone to the Secretary of Public Satety to call on authorities to investigate the murder.

We cannot remain silent before this increase of violence. It is up to Governor Luis Antonio Fleury Filho and Public Safety Secretary Pedro Franco Campos to demand more forceful measures in order that the case of the death of Fausto Ribeiro da Silva Filho may be made clear and that those responsible for the murder be imprisoned and brought to trial. We cannot allow farmworkers, street children, priests, and lawyers to continue to be assasssinated in Brazil. Fausto's death provoked protests from Amnesty International, and the North American human rights organization Ameicas Watch. Members of Amnesity International from the Unites States, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries in Europe sent more that 800 letters of protest to the Ministery of Justice, Jarbas Passarinho, to the Governor of Sao Paulo, Luiz Antonio Fleury Filho and the Public Safety Secretary, Pedro Franco Campos, demanding the investigation of the crime.

The Order of Lawyers of Brazil (OAB) appointed two lawyers to accompany the process. More recently, at the request of the Teotinio Vilela Commission, the Attorney General named a public procescutor to accompany the process. However, the investigations are not proceeding satisfactorily. Until now, no clear response has been given to the family of Fausto, to his friends, or to grassroots organizations.

We ask for JUSTICE NOW and the utmost rigor in the investigations. The family, friends, and grassroots organizations will continue denouncing the crime and demanding the punishment of the murderers.

We ask the human rights organizations in Brazil and overseas continue sending letters and telegrams to Governor Luis Antonio Fluery Filho (Palacio dos Bandeirantes, Avenida Morumbi, 4500, CEP 05598, Sao Paulo, SP.); to Secretary of Public Safety, Pedro Franco Campos (Avenida Higienopolis,758, CEP 01238, Sao Paulo,SP.) and to Foreign Minister Franciso Rezek, (Ministerio das Relacoes Exteriores, Esplanada dos Ministerios, CEP 70170, Brasilia, DF,).

HEALTH:

Aids in Brazil. " There exists today, spread out through 900 municipalities, 21 thousand cases of Aids. The Health Ministry estimates that there may be, currently, in the country, between 500 and 700 thousand people infected with the virus, which indicates an accelerated growth in the disease in the last decade. If we do nothing, by the year 2000 there will be 8 million, I repeat, 8 million Brazilians infected with the disease." With these words, President Fernando Collor de Mello, speaking on national television and radio on November 30, invited Brazilian society to join the war against AIDS. Besides presenting various facts about AIDS, the President reminded that, if needed prevention measures are not taken, in less than a decade, every Brazilian will have someone in their most intimate circle of relatiionships contaminated withthe HIV virus, which destroys the body's capacity to resist common infections.

CHURCH:

CNBB and the National Situation. " Caring for the basic needs of the population is the primaryconsideration for any economic and social development project." The appeal is part of the declaration,'The Service of Life and Hope', signed by 27 Catholic bishops at the end of the meeting of the Permanent Council of the National Bishops Conference (CNBB), on November 26-29, in Brasilia,DF. The main themes of the meeting were" agenda for the next CNBB assembly (education, a study of the statements of the Pope and proposals for the Santo Domingos Conference); evaluation of the Pope's visit; pastoral plan for the next two years; application of general directives; and the permanent formation of the clergy.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES;

COIAB Headquarters invaded. A group of approximately six persons, two of them armed with revolvers, invaded the headquarters of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) during the night of November 27, in Manaus. At the time of the invasion, tukano Indian Manoel Moura managed to call the Military Police, but wound up being detained, and was unjustly accused of owing money to an owner of a bar. This aggressive act happened in the context of great opposition to the demarcation of indigenous territories in Amazonia, especially those lands of the Yanomami. The Indigenous Missionary Council published a memorandum regarding this act, which notes the gravity of this episode, and asks for an investigation by the Federal Police, in order that those responsible may be punished for the illegal act and the abuse of power practice against the indigenous organization.

The reproduction of this material is permitted as long as the source is cited.