and Servico Brasileiro de Justica e Pax.
Number 82, June 3, 1993
HUMAN RIGHTS
- Americas Watch Publishes Report on Police Violence in
Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
A new report, "Urban Police Violence in Brazil: Deaths
and Torture by the Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Police, 1987-
1992", written by Americas Watch and the Center for the Study of
Violence (NEV) of the University of Sao Paulo,was released at a
press conference at the Sao Paulo offices of the Brazilian
Lawyers Association on May 31.
The report documents the increase in police violence in
Sao Paulo: from 305 civilian deaths in Military Police actions in
1987 (when Americas Watch issued its first report on police
violence in Brazil), to 1470 deaths in 1992. The situation has
gone from "an alarming situation" to "a social catastrophe."
The Military Police (PM) allege that the "elimination of
criminals is the only efficiency index the PM has", and, except
in rare cases, the killings, which occur in armed confrontations
with criminals, are all justified. Americas Watch and NEV claim
that the statistics show otherwise. "The proportion between
those killed and those wounded (from nearly 3 to 1 in 1990 to
over 7 to 1 in 1992) suggests that some of these killings are
deliberate; the standard of gunfire exchange in real
confrontation should present a greater proportion of wounded than
deaths." This statistic, said co-author Paulo Sergio Pinheiro of
the Center for the Study of Violence, demonstrates that "these
deaths are extra-judicial executions." The majority of those
killed are young, black, and have no criminal history.
The report says that "it is difficult to understand why some authorities adhere to this policy (of extermination) if they, in truth, know that the majority of the victims are not armed and do not represent a threat to society. It seems that all consider the extermination of a person who is 'marginal' acceptable. The violence and obstinence of the police result in
turning violence into heroism."
The PM's practices are based on a "distorted military
model,developed during the dictatorship, in which persons were
considered 'enemies'; similarly, war is seen as inevitable and
enveloped in a mystic heroism. In these conditions, it is not
difficult to sense the encouragement given by officials to this
wave of violence. However, the political danger of this violence
becomes uncontrollable." The report cites the case of
investigative reporter Caco Barcellos, who has been the target of
threats from the police since the publication of his book on
police violence, "Rota 66". Barcellos was eventually forced to
leave the country. "In this way",says the report, "the police not
only engage in violence, and perpetuate the myth about its
justifications, but it also tries to overcome the truth by
violence."
Since the massacre of at least 111 prisoners in Sao
Paulo's House of Detention in October, 1992, the new state
Secretary of Public Safety, Michel Temer, "has at least
demonstrated an interest in discussing the excesses practiced by
the Military Police." The decrease in the number of police
killings since October "suggests that authorities can control the
violence." "What interests us", said Pinheiro, "is a change in
the security policy of the state." He said that human rights
organizations are in "continuous dialogue" with state officials.
Americas Watch applauded the policy of the Rio de Janeiro
state government, which has developed community relations and
human rights education programs in the Military Police, in order
to diminish police violence. However, these programs are just
beginning, and police violence "is so diffuse that it is
difficult to obtain proof against a certain police officer.
Besides this, dismissed officers generally return to crime,
joining extermination groups, which leads to the conclusion that
the firing of violent police officers does not resolve the
problem, but only transfers it to the field of clandestine
actions."
The report also highlights the actions of groups of hired
killers. Rio de Janeiro has identified more than 180 such groups
operating in the Baixada Fluminense region alone. These killers,
whose ranks include police officers, "are hired by merchants to
eliminate thieves, which lead the groups to kill many youths who,
not having any family support structures, steal in order to
live."
Recommendations made by Americas Watch and the Center for
the Study of Violence include: that public investigation of
charges of police violence continue; that the Sao Paulo Military
Police adopt international standards to reduce police violence;
that the Military Police stop promoting and rewarding officers
who are guilty of or charged with illegal use of lethal force
(Pinheiro pointed out that some officers involved in the House of
Detention massacre were promoted before the conclusion of the
investigation); that Military Police charged with human rights
violations be tried by civil, not military courts; that the
federal government make its own investigation of police violence
in Sao Paulo if there is no decrease in this violence.
- Military Court Reacts To Americas Watch Report
According to a report in the newspaper, "Folha de Sao Paulo",
the members of the Military Court of Sao Paulo held a secret
meeting June 2, to discuss "combat strategies" against Americas
Watch and also against a bill, currently in the Senate, proposed
by Helio Bicudo (PT), proposing the extinction of Military
Courts.
The meeting was attended by the commander of the Military
Justice and the judges responsible for military trials in Sao
Paulo. The strategy outlined has very clear objectives. The first
is to mount a lobby of federal and state deputies to defeat
Bicudo's bill. The second is to show public opinion that without
the Military Courts, cases such as that of "Cabo Bruno" - a
military policeman who killed more than 50 people - wouldn't have
been punished with "total rigor". Thirdly, to show that without
the Military Court, the massacre in Sao Paulo's Detention Center
wouldn't have been investigated to the end. (No one has yet been
punished for the brutal murders of 111 prisoners, that took place
on October 2nd of last year).
Other strategies are to collect a list of signatures of
"famous people", in defense of the courts and also show that the
only reason the military courts don't condemn more military
policemen is because they would be inundated with processes. The
magistrates present at the meeting were unanimous in their
opinion that the report from Americas Watch, "denigrated on a
world-scale", the image of the Military Police of Sao Paulo. They
considered that the document could be used as an incentive for
Helio Bicudo's project and even become the official pamphlet for
the supporters of the extinction of the Brazilian Military
Police.
- Justice Commission Appeals for Solidarity for Those Who
Denounce Police Violence.
The Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Sao
Paulo have sent an open letter appealing for support for
Dominican Frei Betto and Rev. Julio Lancelotti, who are both
being prosecuted by the State for denouncing police violence.
Frei Betto is being prosecuted for writing an article entitled
"The Season for Hunting Brazilians", where he condemns violations
committed by the State's Military Police(PM). Ironically, the
text was written only a few days before the massacre in the
Carandiru Detention Centre in Sao Paulo, where the PM killed 111
prisoners during a rebellion in the prison.
Rev. Lancelotti is being prosecuted for stating during a TV
debate that there were groups of exterminators linked to
the Military Police and the Security Department of the State of
Sao Paulo.
The letter argues that "it is a well-known fact that there are
bad policemen and bad public functionaries and that it is absurd
to see these statements as an offense to the institutions or
to the authorities. The episode of Carandiru and the
extermination of minors in Brazil clearly show that there is
something wrong with the country's police structure".
The Justice and Peace Commission appeal for solidarity for
Frei Betto and Rev. Lancelotti, pointing out that "no crime was
committed and that it would be extremely beneficial if everyone
had the same degree of social concern as both of them have".
Letters of support should be sent to:
The Governor of Sao Paulo,
Luiz Antonio Fleury Filho,
Palacio dos Bandeirantes,
CEP 05698-900,
Sao Paul, SP,
Fax: (011).8439271;
The Minister for Justice,
Mauricio Correa,
Ministerio da Justica,
Esplanada dos Ministerios,
CEP 70000,
Brasilia, DF,
Fax: (061).321.5145;
Secretario da Seguranca do Estado de Sao Paulo,
Michel Temer,
Avenida Higienopolis, 758,
CEP 01238, Sao Paulo, SP;
and Procurador Geral da Justica do Estado,
Rua Libero Badaro, 600,
CEP 01008, Sao Paulo, SP.
- Organizations Protest against Colonel's Appointment.
In the northern state of Maranhao, Christian and
Human Rights groups, including Caritas, the Society for the
Defense of Human Rights, the Church's Justice and Peace
Commission, the Pastoral Care for Fishermen group, the Pastoral
Commission for Land (CPT) and the Rural Christian's
Group, published the following letter, in which they repudiate
the appointment of Colonel Guilherme Ventura to the office of
Security Secretary for the State of Maranhao:
"Colonel Ventura's unsavory record as commander of the
Military Police is already widely known, - he always acted to
defend the wealthy landowners and justified police excesses in
carrying out evictions, such as, burning down houses, destroying
plantations and animals, torturing people and illegally arresting
rural workers, always with the help of private militias. He
personally, without any court order, commanded the evacuation of
the Sao Jorge Estate, where he arrested and tortured two rural
workers, Antonio Batista and Raimundo da Silva".
"Even when relieved of his post, Ventura spread terror
throughout the region of Tocantina, which led to his being
convoked for a hearing of the State's Parliamentary Inquiry on
hired gunmen on May 27th, in Sao Luis. At the inquiry,
Ventura was accused by Valdinar Barros, a local councilor and
Osvaldo Dias, a rural union leader, of unlawful imprisonment and
attempted murder. Ventura admitted to 'detaining' Osvaldo, to
have a talk with him on 'private matters'."
"The truth is that Ventura, who illegally holds land within
the Ciriaco reservation, persecutes workers who defend the area".
His appointment threatens to demoralize the State's already very
shaky security system and worsen rural violence in the area and
we will hold the State government responsible for any violence
that occurs as a result".
The Caritas group in the Maranhao region, who also protest
Ventura's appointment, is organizing a solidarity campaign
in favor of the Bishop of Imperatriz, d. Felipe Gregory, and
appealing for police protection for Valdinar Barros and Osvaldo
Dias. Their appeal states:
"We are all aware of the hate Colonel Guilherme Ventura bears
against the Church and especially for d. Gregory and the rural
leaders of Imperatriz. More than once, he has accused the Church
of fermenting rural violence. A year after the death of one of
Maranhao's most notorious gunmen and landowners, Zeca Rocha,
three rural leaders were attacked and one of them killed. The
other two, Oswaldo and Valdinar, accused Ventura of the crime. Even
so, just one day later, the Governor of Maranhao, Edison Lobao,
appointed Colonel Ventura, as Security Secretary for the State".
Letters of support for d. Gregory and the rural leaders can be
sent to:
Exmo. Dr. Edison Lobao,
Palacio Henrique de La Roque,
Av. Cel. Colares Moreira, s/n,
Cep 65075-000,
Sao Luis, Maranhao,
Fax (098).235.2932;
and Exma. Dra. Elimar Figueiredo,
Procuradora Geral da Justica,
R. do Egito, 139,
Cep 65010-000,
Sao Luis, Maranhao.
- Report Released on Exterminations of Youth In Sao Paulo.
A new book, entitled "Cold-blooded Extermination of Minors in
Sao Paulo", was published today, June 2nd, in Sao Paulo, by the
Lawyer's Association's Commission for Human Rights (OAB).
The book denounces the fact that two children are executed
every day in the State. The commission lead by OAB president,
Joao Benedito Marques, spent one year gathering information and
statements for the relatives of the children who were murdered.
The book states that "the majority of the assassinations of
these children were carried out by the Military Police, ex-
policemen, or extermination groups paid by local shopkeepers".
- Parallel Meeting during Iberian-American Conference to
Denounce Human Rights Violations.
The Continental Indigenous, Black and Grassroot Movement have
programmed a Latin American Organizations Meeting for the week of
the 11th to the 15th of July, in Salvador, Bahia, to coincide
with the meeting of Iberian-American Presidents, which will take
place at the same time and venue.
The object of the NGO and grassroot groups meeting is to:
highlight the situation of human rights on the continent, in face
of the neo-liberal policies being pursued by these governments;
denounce the constant violations of human rights in these
countries, especially in regard to indigenous, black and rural
communities; and prepare a document of human right violations,
demanding government action.
The Brazilian Committee delegated the following entities to
coordinate the preparations for the event: Pro-Central Grassroot
Movements; the Missionary Council for Indigenous Peoples (CIMI);
the Movement for Landless Rural Workers (MST); and the National
Department for Rural Workers (CUT).
LAND ISSUES
- Imprisoned Rural Workers in Parana Continue to Suffer
Violence.
Since 1991, 150 families who occupied the Santana Farm in
Campo Bonito, Parana, have been waiting for the federal
government to fulfill its agreement to find settlements for them.
Last March, the families returned to occupy the farm, which is
used only for extracting wood. The Parana state Military Police
violently broke up the land occupation, and arrested and tortured
11 rural workers. The police returned to the encampment and found
another rural worker, Teixeirinha, whom they beat, handcuffed,
led into the woods, and executed.
On June 1, the Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST)
issued the following statement on the continued mistreatment of
the imprisoned rural workers:
"The Military Police of the State of Parana continue
torturing and intimidating rural workers who are imprisoned in
Cascavel, Parana, due to the conflict in Campo Bonito.
On May 31, under the pretext of making a search in the
prison, more than 30 police officers removed the workers from
their cells and began to beat them and destroy their personal
belongings. Some workers were taken back to their cells
unconscious, as a result of the beatings.
Police actions in land issues, which resulted in the
Campo Bonito conflict in March, are serving to remove the mask of
the Military Police. They repress with extreme brutality the
rural workers, and are completely subservient to the interest of
large landowners.
The Military Police Investigation team and the commission
from the federal Justice Ministry, which visited the aera, blame
the police for the torture and killing of Teixeirinha, whose
execution was planned and cruel.
The practice of physical and psychological torture and
the summary execution of Teixeirinha are the specific
responsibility of the commander of the 6th Battalion of the
Military Police of Cascavel, Lieutenant Colonel Walter Pontes.
We ask that messages be sent to the authorities listed
below, demanding a full investigation and punishment of those
responsible. The State cannot cover up crimes of torture.
Certain of your sensitivity, and knowing that only
through our mobilization we will be able to guarantee the rights
of citizens, we count on your support."
Letters may be sent to:
Governador do Estado do Parana
Dr. Roberto Requiao
Palacio Iguacu - Centro Civico
80537 Curitiba, PR Brasil
fax: 041-254-7345
and to:
Procuradoria Geral da Republica
Av. L/2 Sul - Quadra 603/4
1 Andar, Sala 215
70200 Brasilia, DF Brasil
fax: 061-313-5197
INDIGENOUS ISSUES
- Organizations Want Court Decision against Indians Annulled.
Indigenous organizations and sympathizers, from all over
Blozil and abroad, have started a letter campaign directed to
the judge of the Regional Federal Tribunal, Eustaquio Silveira,
requesting that his decision to suspend a court order, made last
week in Brasilia, prohibiting the lumber companies Peraoni,
Maginco and Impar, from working illegally in indigenous
territories in the South of Para, be revoked.
Judge Silveira, well-known for his decisions in favor of the
big companies, made the ruling at the request of the Perachi
Export Company and the leader of the miners, Luiz Nogueira Araujo
Costa, who illegally invaded the Apyterewa Indian lands.
Silveira's decision means that these lumber companies and miners
can continue to exploit Indian territories, at least until the
case comes up for judgment.
"We are writing", says the letter to Judge Silveira, "to ask
Your Excellency, to review these decisions, because they
represent a grave threat to the survival of the indigenous people
and to the Amazonian forest. We ask you to consider the extreme
vulnerability of these indigenous communities to the devastating
effects of the activities of the lumber companies and miners and
to the enormous risks for the physical and cultural survival of
the indigenous communities and the preservation of the natural
resources of the Indian territories, already recognized as such
by the public authorities".
Silveira's decision suspends at least temporarily the
decision of the judge of the 4th jurisdiction of the Federal
courts of Brasilia, SelkenU/ MariaX]ary
gave a court order favorable to the Center for Indigenous
Rights (NDI), determining the interdiction of the Indian lands of
the Arawete, Apyterewa, and Trincheira Bacaja tribes.
The indigenous groups are appealing for letters of support,
protesting against Judge Silveiras decision. The letters should
be sent to:
Exmo. Sr. Dr. Eustaquio Silveira,
Juiz do Tribunal Regional Federal da 1
SBS, Q.2, Edificio Aurea, 4 andar,
Brasilia, DF,
CEP 70070-100,
Fax 061.322.1022.
CHURCH NEWS
- President of CONIC Defends Ecumenism.
The Bishop of Santa Cruz do Sul and president of the National
Council of Christian Churches of Brazil (CONIC), d. Sinesio Bohn,
has written a letter to the director of the magazine "Isto e",
clarifying some points he made in an interview which the magazine
published on May 12th.
In the article entitled, "Catholics at Holy War", the magazine
attributes a phrase to the bishop saying, "We are going to
declare "holy war" on the 13 Evangelical Churches". D. Sinesio
states in his letter, "I defended exactly the opposite: we must
maintain dialogue with all Christians and practice ecumenism.
Certainly we must also instruct our own faithful, with quiet
firmness. I never said anything about "13 evangelical Churches".
CONIC is not an alliance against anyone. It is an association of
Churches searching for unity of faith and a common mission, as
expressed in the will of Christ".
Finally, concludes d. Sinesio, "the 'accord for civil
neighborliness', is not a ploy to silence anyone, but rather a
way to avoid a religious friction and safeguard the relationship
between Christians. CONIC believes in dialogue and in the good
sense of the religious leaders".
HOUSING
- Workers Want Financial Control and Better Quality.
A national meeting to demand low-cost housing, is being
programmed for July 17 and 18, in Betim, in the State of Minas
Gerais. "Building National Unity for Housing", is being organized
by the Union of Housing Movements of Sao Paulo (UMM) and the
local municipal government of Betim.
According to a circular letter convoking the meeting, the main
idea is to continue the fight to have a parliamentary bill
passed which would create a national fund for low-cost housing
and mobilize the population to march to Brasilia to put pressure
on Congressmen, while the bill is being voted.
Another question that will be discussed at the July meeting,
is the funding which the National Secretary for Housing,
promised to give to the grassroot housing movements by March, of
this year, but which they haven't received yet. To clarify why
the funds haven't yet been given, the Minister for Social Welfare
and the Secretary for Housing have both been invited to attend
the meeting.
The letter also proposes the organization of a national
campaign of action, including the "collective occupation of
land", throughout Brazil, during the months of August and
September, if, by that time, authorities haven't taken concrete
steps to solve the country's enormous housing problem.
Also on the agenda is t
he organization of the "Fifth Caravan
(March) of Grassroot Movements to Brasilia" and the revision of
the Constitution (to amplify and guarantee the social advances
already made, and which are threatened by the conservative
forces). Those involved and interested in self-help housing
projects, from all over Brazil, are expected to participate and
share their experiences on how communities can build cheaper and
better houses, when the people, directly concerned, gain
financial control of the projects and administer these funds with
justice.
The reproduction of this material is permitted as long as the source is cited.
NEWS FROM BRAZIL supplied by AGEN (Agencia Ecumenica de Noticias)
and Servico Brasileiro de Justica e Paz.
Number 80, May 21, 1993
LABOR QUESTIONS
- Unemployment in Sao Paulo hits record high.
With an economically active population of 7,991,000 workers,
Sao Paulo registered, in April, a staggering 1,287,000 unemployed
persons, the biggest unemployment rate since 1985. The figures
were compiled by a joint study carried out by the Interunion
Department for Socio-Economic Studies (Dieese) and the State's
Data Analysis System (Seade). The percentage of unemployment in
Sao Paulo, in March was 15.8% and went up to 16,1% in April. The
survey also shows a fall in the buying power of those who are
employed. On average, says the survey, the real buying power of
wages, in April, 93, was only 59.4% of what it was in 1985.
"Another worrying and grave trend", say the experts, "is the fact
that the survey shows that it is the so-called 'heads of
families', that have been hit most". The jobs created are
considered "weak and fragile" as they are mainly in the area of
home-help and youth jobs".
- Standard of life in Brazil worsens.
The specialists were prepared for the worst, but they were
perplexed by the incredible decline in the quality of life, in
Brazil, as evidenced in the recent report from the United Nations
Development Program. Brazil dropped from 59th place to that of
70th, in world terms of standards of living, loosing out to such
countries as, Columbia, Panama and Jamaica and heading from the
"Third" into the "Fourth World".
The UN group evaluated 173 countries and considered such
factors as, education, wealth distribution and life expectancy.
Sociologist, Maria Irene Szmrecsanyi, of the University of Sao
Paulo, said the UN numbers "gives an official tone to the poverty
that is all over the streets", while another sociologist, Ana
Amelia da Silva, of the Institute for Studies, Formation and
Advice for Social Politics, doesn't discount the possibility of
Brazil soon being considered a Forth World country.
- Cardinal Arns and bishops of Sao Paulo denounce State's lack
of concern in health area.
On May 12th, the Cardinal Archbishop of Sao Paulo, d. Evaristo
Arns and his auxiliary bishops sent a letter to the Governor of
Sao Paulo, Luiz Antonio Fleury Filho, to protest against the
government's lack of concern for the disastrous situation of the
State's health system and at the same time, to defend the salary
increases for public employees in this sector, who have been on
strike for the several weeks.
"Our people have been facing a catastrophic situation, for the
last 20 days, because of the strike. The sick are abandoned and
the public health employees disdained. The chaos falls mostly on
the shoulders of the poor and defenseless", says the letter.
"Three years ago", say the bishops, "we asked the people of
Sao Paulo, what the City's biggest problem was. The principal
answer was health, along side the problem of work and housing.
For this reason, we bishops have decided to be spokespeople for
the cry of our people. The lack of concern for public health, on
the part of the State, is evident. We believe the cause of this
degeneration of the health service and society in general, is to
be found in unjust structures. Without a solution for the problem
of inflation, no measures can resolve the question of salaries.
"We are convinced that everybody has the right to health care
and that this is the responsibility of the State". The bishops
point out that the religious-run hospitals, are badly paid by the
government, but still "provide a valuable service to the public
and pay better salaries than the State hospitals".
The letter also mentions that many grassroot movements,
encouraged by Christian communities, managed to get health
centers and hospitals built on the periphery of the city, but
unfortunately are not functioning the way they should.
The letter ends with an appeal to the State authorities, to
"renew negotiations, respond to the cry of the people and review,
with urgency the question of salaries".
- Secretary and treasurer resign in CUT crisis.
In the continuing crisis, which is dividing the leadership of
the county's largest trade union congress, the Unified
Confederation of Workers of Brazil (CUT), the Confederation's
secretary general, Gilmar Carneiro, and its treasurer, Delubio
Soares de Castro, resigned their positions.
The row divides the leadership within the "Articulation" group
of the unions and is a seen as a rehearsal for the dispute for
the presidency of the congress, between Gilmar himself and
Vicente Paulo da Silva (Vincentinho), the current president of
the Metal Workers Union of Sao Bernardo do Campo. The
resignations were announced at meeting of over 100 CUT
unionists, held to discuss the crisis.
In political terms, Vincentinho would be seen to represent the
more leftist thought within the unions, while Gilmar's position
is more in line with the social democrats.
CHURCH QUESTIONS
- Provincial appeals for support for Frei Betto.
The Provincial of the Dominican Order, in Sao Paulo, Frei Luis
Sapiano OP, has sent an appeal, looking for support for one of
the Order's members, Frei Betto, who is being prosecuted, in
court, at the request of the Command of the Military Police,
because of an article he published in the "Estado de Sao Paulo"
newspaper, on the 21st of May of 1992, entitled, "The Season for
Hunting Brazilians".
The article treats the question of the impunity enjoyed, in
Brazil, by those who wantonly kill on the roads, in police
activities, in lynchings and by denying a just salary to their
workers.
The paragraph that provoked the court action is as follows:
"One can also kill with impunity by joining the Military Police
of Sao Paulo, especially the 'Rota battalion'. There one learns
to hate blacks and despise the poor. You're given a uniform, a
gun, a potent squad car, and its just a matter of hunting your
prey.
Two kids talking on a street corner, in the East Zone, could
be a good choice. It's not important if they are bandits or not.
It's enough to say they are. If they are spoiling the city's
scenery, like coming out of a rundown house driving a brand new
car, don't hesitate. Have you ever seen a old, rusty volkswagon
coming out of one of those mansions in Morumbi? So, fire. Ask
questions later...".
The Provincial's letter explains that, "On the 23/05/92, the
Commandant of the Military Police of Sao Paulo, Eduardo
Assumpcao, published a letter in the same newspaper, in response
to the article. In the letter the Colonel assured readers that,
'In the Military Police, violence is punished. Last year, 304
policemen were dismissed and 90 expelled for acts incompatible
with the behavior expected of a military policeman'. In this way,
the Colonel admits that the comments made by Frei Betto have, to
say the least, some foundation.
Accused of the crime of defamation of the Military Corps and
questioned by the police on 17/09/92, frei Betto confirmed he had
written the article, but denied the interpretation that he
intended to defame all the soldiers and officials of the Military
Police Corp. Frei Betto said his intention was to denounce the
abuses and notorious cases of violence, already amply registered
by the news media.
On the 3rd of October, 1992, the news broke that the military
Police of Sao Paulo had suffocated a prisoner's rebellion, on the
previous day, in the Carandiru Detention Center, leaving behind
the tragedy of 111 dead prisoners. Not one policeman was killed
or gravely injured and according to the director of the prison,
no fire-arms were found on the prisoners.
After the massacre, we thought the process against Frei betto
would be dropped. Let it be said that not one military policeman
involved in the massacre was, so far, considered to blame or
punished. The governor of Sao Paulo, Luiz Antonio Fleury Filho,
limited himself to dismissing the Secretary for Security and
substituting the commander of the MP".
Frei Betto is due to give evidence in the Forum in Sao Paulo,
on May 21, while the trial is set for 2/07/93.
The Provincial, Frei Luis, ends his letter by stating that "We
are not worried, as such, about the process being brought against
frei Betto. It's the impunity of police abuses and the
possibility of this continued and open disrespect for human
rights, that is most worrying.
In this sense, we suggest that those who feel solidarity with
our confrere, should protest directly to:
the Governor of Sao Paulo, Luiz Antonio Fleury Filho,
Palacio dos Bandeirantes,
CEP 05698-900,
Sao Paulo, SP,
Fax: (011) 843.9271
and to the Minister for Justice, Mauricio Correa,
Ministerio da Justica,
Esplanada dos Ministerios,
CEP 70000 Brasilia, DF,
Fax (061) 321.5145".
- CNBB appeal for ethical values.
In an official note, drawn up at their Annual National
Conference, which ended on May 7th, the Catholic Bishops of
Brazil address the question of ethics and mass communication.
Specifically referring to television, the bishops express
great concern about the amount of violence, obscenities, and
immoral behavior portrayed on Brazilian TV networks. They also
complain about the lack of educational and cultural programs,
including the inadequate and unsatisfactory way in which the
great social questions of poverty and misery, that afflict the
vast majority, are treated in the media, "while the good life,
based on pleasure and power, is put forward as the ideal".
"News items", they say, "are, all too often, elaborated in
such a way as to propagate crime, information is manipulated to
serve the interests of individuals and groups and the religious
sentiments of the population are very often exploited".
The note from the Church leaders insists that they realize
that this subject does not only concern the catholic population,
but the whole nation and that there is no wish to return to
censorship, be it artistic, literary or political, but proposes
that the TV channels, "have absolute respect for the norms
expressed in the Constitution, that is, with regard to the
finality of the mass media to inform truthfully, objectively and
completely, and to provide educational and cultural programs and
healthy leisure".
As well as appealing to those involved in television, the
Bishops also request the National Congress to implement Article
224 of the Constitution, which demands that a Council for Social
Communication be instituted.
- Catholic foundation plan to launch national TV network in
September.
The Brazilian Institution for Christian Communication (INBRAC)
is planning the launching of a national TV network for September,
1993. The INBRAC foundation, founded in December of last year, is
made up of bishops , priests and lay people, including the
President of the National conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB),
d. Luciano Mendes de Almeida.
The TV Network will be transmitted from the city of Sao Jose
do Rio Preto, in the interior of the State of Sao Paulo, where
the studios and technical installations are being built. A Sao
Paulo businessman, Joao Monteiro de Barros Filho, has put the
concession he received from the Federal government in 1990, to
set up a TV channel, at the disposal of the Catholic church. A TV
satellite will be rented to transmit programs on a national
basis.
Initially, TV channel will transmit programs produced by the
Catholic organizations that make videos, such as those of the
Salesians, in Belo Horizonte and Irmas Paulinas, in Sao Paulo.
The Catholic church already has a national radio network
service, transmitted from Radio Aparecida, via satellite,
IgrejaSat and located in the Valley of Paraiba, Sao Paulo. Radio
Aparecida is the biggest Catholic radio station in Latin America
and one of the most important in the world.
According to Monteiro de Barros, the foundation already has
the support of over 100 local TV stations, in the State of Sao
Paulo alone. The foundation will also try to get time on the
other national networks, especially the so-called, educational
channels.
The initial out-lay for the INBRAC project is something the
region of US$ 40 million, which it is hoped will be covered by
donations from national and international, Catholic
organizations.
Commenting on this new initiative from the church, d. Ivo
Lorscheiter, bishop of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, told AGEN
that, "the network will not be the CNBB's TV channel but rather a
project comprising of Catholics, the clergy, religious and lay
people". He said that the Church was "becoming more and more
aware of its missionary responsibility in view of the great
challenge presented by the world of social communication".
D. Lorscheiter also added that at the San Domingos meeting of
the Latin American bishops, "social communication was seen as one
of the priorities for the Church in Latin America".
LAND ISSUES
- Man who planned Fonteles murder condemned.
James Vita Lopes, 45, the lawyer who planned the murder of ex-
State deputy, Paulo Fonteles de Lima, in 1987, was condemned to
21 years imprisonment, on the 15th of May.
Lopes, an ex-agent of the repressive forces during the
military dictatorship, went on trial in the municipality of
Ananindeusa, in the metropolitan region of Belem, in Para, for
the second time, as he had appealed the first sentence, in which
he also got 21 years.
Fonteles, a lawyer, was well known for his work in defending
those engaged in the struggle for agrarian reform and also
belonged to the Communist Party of Brazil (PC do B). The people
who ordered the crime haven't been punished and the gunmen who
carried out the murder are missing (it's presumed they were
executed to make sure they would not reveal anything, in a
practice known here in Brazil as "queima do arquivo" - literally
"burning the files").
After he left the service of the repressive forces, Lopes
worked as contract man to hire gunmen for the Democratic Rural
Union (UDR), the principal organization of the wealthy Brazilian
landowners.
- CUT denounce aggression against rural workers.
Fourteen rural workers were injured with bullets and batons,
by the Military Police of Para, on the 14th of May, when they
tried to enter the central headquarters of the Amazonia Bank
(BASA).
The accusation was made by the National Department for Rural
Workers of the Unified Confederation of Workers of Brazil (CUT).
The workers were trying to make an agreement on the so-called
"Constitutional Grants for the North". Eight of the rural workers
were hospitalized, one of them in a serious condition.
CUT suggest that messages of protest against this violence be
sent to:
the Minister for Justice, Mauricio Correa,
Fax: (061). 224.2448).
- Slave labor denounced in Amazon area.
The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), through
its Center for the Defense of Human Rights (CDDH) and the
Pastoral Commission for Land (CPT) has just denounced the
practice of slave labor in the Amazon.
Representatives of these entities went to the municipality of
Presidente Figueiredo, in the interior of the Amazon, after the
Federal Police of Paraiba revealed the case. The rural workers
were contracted by the Pororoca Agroindustrial Company and by
Doboa. They told the Human Rights groups that they had been flown
into Manaus on a Vasp flight, from Joao Pessoa (in Paraiba), two
weeks previously and had been taken to President Figueiredo by
bus. They had given their documents to a man called "Chicao" and
hadn't seen them since. They had been promised a wage of Cr$ 12
million per month (about US$ 300), after expenses were taken out.
The CDDH and the CPT denounced that the workers are required
to cut five tons of sugar cane per day. One of the workers said
that it was impossible to reach this quota. When they don't, the
company discounts 10% of the first day's salary, 15% on the
second day, 20% on the third, and so on. When the discount
reaches 30%, the worker is thrown off the plantation, with
nothing, not even his fare back home. As well as this, Cr$ 1
million is taken from the workers wage, for receiving one meal a
day.
The use of the sleeping quarters and even the tools, used to
cut the cane, are also discounted. The sugar cane workers get Cr$
35 thousand (less than US$ 1) for every 5 tons of cane they cut.
There is no medical assistance, whatsoever, and there is also
reason to believe that several workers are gone missing. They are
said to have tried to walk back to Manaus, and disappeared in the
forest.
POLITICAL QUESTIONS
- Manifesto reveals interventionist attude of military.
The Brazilian military's dissatisfaction with the Federal
government, politicians and the general state of the country's
socio-economic crisis is the background for a manifesto entitled,
"The Armed Forces - the Last Bulwark", which Brigadier Lieutenant
Ivan Moacyr da Frota, General Air Commander, recently published
in the Naval Air Force magazine, "Revista da Aeronautica" and
reproduced in the Army's "Revista do Clube Militar" and the "O
Estado de Sao Paulo" newspaper.
Throughout the article, a new and explicit, interventionist
attitude is revealed on the part of the military in the political
area, after the relatively quiet and reserved posture they
adopted, during the recent democratic transition, from almost 30
years of military rule.
The article, published after long consultations between
military chiefs, adopts a messianic tone when talking about the
role of the Armed forces as "the last bulwark" for Brazil's
survival as a free and independent Nation. Some political
analysts see the manifesto as a sign of a possible
"fujimorization" of the Brazilian political system, leading to an
eventual civil coup, with military approval, as happened in Peru,
under the leadership of the dictator-president, Alberto Fujimori.
Frota's manifesto, however states that "the era of the
barracks and military coups is over", and adds that "With our
legal formation, this type of force is not acceptable".
Nonetheless, just after that he states that "the time has come
for the great silent majority of this nation to make themselves
heard, at this dramatic moment, and with determination and
firmness, to demand that the Brazilian Armed Forces take their
proper place of importance and consideration".
In the manifesto, the Commander, who is only second in
authority to the Minister himself, sustains a series of
arguments:
1. The Armed Forces are being attacked, by internal and
foreign enemies, who are systematically trying to destabilize
them;
2. This strategy interests the rich countries (the Big 7), who
divide the planet into "First and Secondary Nations", "where the
latter are condemned to permanent under-development, so that they
don't develop as a competitive threat in the international
economic scenario". According to Frota, this "philosophy" of a
North/South conflict has taken the place of the "extinct
East/West" one;
3. This campaign has the support of sections of the
"misguided" or "corrupted" media, both within and outside the
country and also of some politicians;
4. Another expression of this campaign is the reduction of the
military budget, resulting in bad salaries, cuts in military
training and obsolete weapons. The Brazilian weapon industry is
also in ruins because of international pressure, in favor of arms
production in the rich countries;
5. This strategy could soon affect the Amazon area, under the
pretext of drug control, ecology and protection for the rights of
indigenous people;
6. The "silent majority" in Brazil are dissatisfied with all
of this and "the terrible economic inequalities", allied to
corruption;
7. The internal separatists movements constitute "another most
serious threat to be faced with determination and firmness" and
are also controlled from "outside'.
In the media, officials from the armed forces have shown their
approval of the manifesto. Yesterday, in parliament, one of the
Federal Deputies (of the PDC party), Jair Bolsonaro, ex-army
officer and unofficial spokesperson for the lower army officials,
defended the idea of closing down the National Congress, for six
months, until general elections are held and also the revoking of
the National Constitution promulgated in October, 1988.
- Meeting of leaders of the Iberian-American countries.
Preparations are well under way for the Conference of the
Leaders of the Iberian-American countries, to be held in
Salvador, Bahia, in June. The heads of State of the Latin
American and Caribbean countries, as well as the presidents of
Spain and Portugal are expected to attend.
A parallel meeting, promoted by the Continental Resistance
Movement for the Black, Indigenous and Rural Communities, is
being organized, to coincide with the event. The NGO organizers
of this parallel meeting hope to call attention to certain themes
of vital interest to the Third World, such as the foreign debt
and the disastrous effects of neo-liberal economic policies being
imposed on these countries.
The agenda for the official meeting will deal with cooperation
between the various countries involved, the new world geo-
political order and the problem of narcotics. Another question,
which the meeting will undoubtably have to face, is that of the
new restrictions Spain and Portugal are making for Latin American
and Caribbean visitors. Even with the strong protests made by
Brazil and other Latin American countries and apart from the fact
that tourism in Spain and Portugal is suffering, the authorities
there, seem to remain insensible to the problem.
HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES
- Parliament approves project concerning police crimes.
A report from Marcelo Godoy of the "Folha da Tarde" newspaper,
says that the Parliament in Brasilia has just approved a bill
that will give the civil courts jurisdiction to judge any wilful
homicides committed, while on duty, by military police. Up to
now, these crimes were exclusively dealt with by Military
Justice. The bill will now go to the Senate and if approved, will
only need the presidential sanction to become law.
Crimes committed by military policemen, off duty, but using
weapons belonging to the military, will also go to civil courts.
However, the crimes of manslaughter, robbery, torture and
bribery, will continue to be reserved to the Military courts.
Helio Bicudo, a federal deputy with the Worker's Party, who
has been working for a long time for a change in the laws
governing crimes committed by the military police, remained
dissatisfied with the bill. "Our intention", he said, "is to have
all crimes committed by the military against civilians, tried by
civil courts".
According to Bicudo, the military Courts have already
demonstrated that they are not impartial. Marcio Thomaz Bastos, a
lawyer, said that he considers the project to be good news. "At
this time, in which there's a huge increase in police violence,
it is fundamental that these crimes are not tried by a tribunal,
like the Military Court, that has shown itself to be partial".
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