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English Report

The Eldorado dos Carajás massacre took place on the day of  the International Day of Rural Struggle – on April 17, 1996, when 19 landless rural workers were assassinated by the Military Police on the “S” Curve of Highway PA-150, and another 69 were injured.  Between 1996 and 2006 – 10 years since the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre -, close to 170 landless workers were assassinated in the state of Pará. In 1996 alone, 33 landless workers were assassinated in the state[1]. Rural violence is a sad situation in Pará.  It has the largest numbers of cases of slave labor in Brazil. In addition, it was here that ranch owners ordered the assassination of missionary Dorothy Stang, in February of 2005.  In spite of the presence of the Army and the Federal Police in Anapu, the city where the nun lived, rural workers still feel unsafe and suffer from regular threats. The majority of large landowners in the state have armed militias.  According to the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), in the last 34 years in Pará, there were more than 770 assassinations of rural landless workers and people that support them.  In only three cases there were trials to judge the authors of these crimes.

 

10 years since the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre - rural movements fight against impunity

Evanize Sydow[2]

 

The year 2006 marks ten years since the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre took place in Pará, in which 19 landless workers were assassinated by Military Police on the “S” Curve of Highway PA-150, and another 69 workers were injured.

The Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), together with diverse human rights organizations, organized protests throughout Brazil to remember this day.  Protests against impunity were also carried out in France and Italy.  One event took place where the massacre occurred, and Paulo Vanucchi, Special Secretary for Human Rights, participated.

The objective of the protests, besides remembering the workers, was to denounce impunity in this case - not one of the 155 police officers who participated in the killing is in prison.  A report by the MST shows that of the 144 officers who were incriminated, only two were sentenced.  Only Coronel Mário Collares Pantoja and Major José Maria Pereira de Oliveira were sentenced to 228 and 158 years of prison respectively.  The politicians who were responsible for giving orders to the police– Governor Almir Gabriel and Secretary of Public Security Paulo Sette Câmara were not charged.

Between 1996 and 2006 – 10 years since the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre -, close to 170 landless workers were assassinated in Pará, and in 1996 alone, 33 workers were assassinated in the state[3]. Rural violence is a sad situation in the state of Pará. The largest numbers of cases of slave labor have been documented in that state.  In addition, it was in Pará where that ranch owners ordered the assassination of missionary Dorothy Stang, in February of 2005. In spite of the presence of the Army and the Federal Police in Anapu, the city where Sister Dorothy lived, rural workers still feel unsafe and suffer from regular threats. The majority of large landowners in the state have armed militias.  According to the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), in the last 34 years in Pará, there were more than 770 assassinations of landless workers and people who support them. In only three cases there were trials to judge the authors of these crimes.

The Eldorado dos Carajás massacre took place on the International Day of Rural Struggle – on April 17, 1996.  This is also a time to remember other events like the Felisburgo massacre, which took place two years ago in Minas Gerais, in which a group of armed gunmen, among them rancher Adriano Chafik Luedy, invaded an encampment in the New Hope ranch, which is located in the region of the Valley of Jequitinhonha, and assassinated five landless workers.


[1] BASTOS, Alessandra. Agrarian reform agents evaluate the movement ten years after the dos Carajás Massacre. Available at: www.radiobras.gov.br.  Accessed on 11/14/2006


[2] Evanize Sydow is a journalist with the Social Network for Justice and Human Rights and a master’s student at the Center for Research and Documentation of Contemporary Brazilian History for the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, Rio de Janeiro.


[3] BASTOS, Alessandra. Agrarian reform agents evaluate the movement ten years after the Carajás Massacre. Available at: www.radiobras.gov.br.  Accessed on 11/14/2006