News-Letter  Nr. 415

According to the Federal Police, there was no violence on April 22

The Federal Police in the state of Bahia completed an investigation on the acts of violence committed on April 22 and reported that there was no abuse of power by the Military Police of the state in an ambush against indigenous people and militants of the Indigenous, Black, and Popular Resistance Movement. Under the command of colonel Wellington Müller, the special group of the Military Police involved was taking care of the security of the president of the Republic, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, in Porto Seguro during the celebrations of "Brazil's Discovery." According to federal police officer Rubens Patury, the action of the military police was aimed at preventing "radical demonstrators who had mingled with groups of indigenous people from disturbing the order." Colonel Müller told the investigators that no acts of aggression had been committed on the occasion in question. However, pictures taken at the site of the incident clearly show the police throwing tear-gas bombs, pushing people and dragging a black man away by the hair. Because of his action, colonel Müller was promoted by the government of Bahia to commander of the police in the interior of the state.

Attorney general Márcio Andrade Torres has not issued a formal opinion on the results of the investigation. The police investigation was carried out at the request of the Office of the Attorney General in Bahia for the purpose of gathering evidence to file a criminal action against the Brazilian State. The public prosecution office has also opened two other civil investigations. The first one is intended to find out whether the public administration principles of freedom of speech and free access to the city of Porto Seguro were disregarded. The second one is intended to secure compensations for moral and material damages inflicted on indigenous people.

The conclusions of the Federal Police have shocked the country. Images of the fright, pain and humiliation suffered by indigenous peoples and their allies in the violent action of the police in Bahia have been widely disseminated by the national and international press. The negative repercussion of these images, however, did not prevent the federal government from reaching the conclusion that no crime has been committed. The investigation carried out by the Federal Police has revealed the intention of the federal administration to blame social and popular movements for the bombs thrown against a peaceful parade that was scheduled to take place between the municipalities of Santa Cruz de Cabrália and Porto Seguro. It has shown to the world how cruel the methods adopted by the Brazilian "democracy" are. Indigenous peoples and allied movements have requested a detailed and fair investigation. However, because they have little hope that such investigation will ever be carried out in Brazil, they will continue to report the crimes committed in April to the world.

Kulina are threatened by invaders of their land

The Kulina of the Pau Pixuna community have been receiving death threats from an invader of their land, located in the municipality of Juruá, 672 km from Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas. The threats began this month, after the Kulina decided to speed up the demarcation of their land by expelling invaders themselves. On June 1, the Kulina removed all the belongings of Maria Rozendo de Oliveira Lima from the area, preventing her from returning to the indigenous land.

The situation in the village has always been tense and the exit of invaders is the only way to avoid violence. The climate is particularly tense now. Non-indigenous people say they will attack the Kulina if they decide to expel more invaders. The Kulina say they will fight back and a deadlock was established. More people could die if this situation continues. In the wee hours of 10 May 1998, Miho Kulina, a member of the indigenous community, was killed by Raimundo Nonato Ribeiro da Silva, known as Nonatão. The preventive custody of the murderer has been requested, but he is still at large.

Murderers of Machinery identified

The Federal Public Prosecution Office has pressed charges against Francimar Souza da Silva, Erivaldo Paulo do Nascimento, Antonio José‚ Araújo de Albuquerque, and Luciano da Silva Abreu for murder for foul motive. The four have been accused of killing José‚ Pedro Manchinery and of wounding Milton Brasil Matias Manchinery and Jorge Luis Nonato Kaxinawá, members of indigenous communities. On May 31, the State Public Prosecution Office had also brought charges at a state court against Francimar Souza da Silva and Erivaldo Paulo do Nascimento, who are in prison in the municipality of Sena Madureira awaiting trial. Antonio José‚ Araújo and Luciano da Silva were released at the request of state attorneys.

The crime was committed in the wee hours of May 14 in Sena Madureira and the motive was prejudice. After completing a course for health agents, the three indigenous people were returning from a party to the hotel where they were staying when five men - the four accused individuals and a minor - approached them and began to call them names. Because the indigenous men refused to react, they attacked them with knives and clubs, killing José‚ Pedro and seriously wounding the two other Indians who were with him. Both the federal and the state public prosecution offices will request the public prosecutor for juvenile offenders to take measures in relation to the minor involved in the crime. This is another case that can give rise to arguments with regard to the jurisdiction for judging the crime, namely, whether the trial is to be taken care of by a federal court or a state-level court. If so, it may take years for the crime to be actually judged.

Brasília, 15 June 2000.
Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi





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