FROM: Human Rights Sector, National Secretariat MST, São Paulo
DATE: April 7, 2003 SUBJECT: Massacre at Carajás, April 17, 1996-2003, seven years of impunity! *portugues em baixo*

Dear Friends,

Today, April 17, 2003 is International Day of Peasant Struggle. Today also marks the 7th year in which no one has been held accountable for the Massacre at Carajás. Please act now in solidarity with mobilized farmers movements throughout the world.

HISTORY

Late on the afternoon of April 17, 1996, the Military Police of [the state of] Pará, commanded by Colonel Mário Colares Pantoja, killed 19 landless agricultural workers and seriously wounded 69 others, who to this day are no longer able to work in agriculture as a result of their injuries. The massacre took place in the municipality of Eldorado do Carajás at a location known as the 'S' curve. Several months later, two other workers died of their wounds.

The Governor of the state of Pará was Almir Gabriel and the President of the Republic was the Fernando Enrique Cardoso. The Secretary of Public Security was Pablo Sette Câmara. The Governor and the Secretary of Security were acquitted by the Superior Court of Justice.

The police inquest conducted by the Civil Police did not reach the point of determining the identities of those who shot and killed the workers. That being the case, the public prosecutor's office decided to process all the policemen who were there the day of the slaughter [142 men including soldiers and officers].

A court judgement was reached [more than four years later] in August 2000. Judge Ronaldo Valle acquitted all the accused after asking jurors if the proof presented was insufficient for conviction; the majority of the jury agreed. Several days later it was discovered that at least one of the jurors had unusually extensive contact with the police and had been corrupted.

The jury's decision was annulled and judge Ronaldo Valle was removed from the case.

A new trial was scheduled. But, before beginning legal proceedings, the appointed judge, Dr. Eva Coelho do Amaral, tried to disallow the prinicpal evidence of the accusation: a technical finding by UNICAMP (University of Campinas) that there was scientific proof that the Military Police and others had shot to kill.

MST lawyers fought a judicial battle against the judge's ruling, and in the end, demonstrated that the UNICAMP findings were valid and should be part of the trial. The judge came under suspicion and was removed from the case. The state court of Pará, pressured, but undeterred, by public opinion, appointed a new judge, Dr. Roberto Moura, who took over the case on May 10, 2002. Strangely, just after receiving a case whose documents totaled 14 volumes of hundreds of pages each, Moura scheduled the trial to begin three days later on May 13, 2002. The customary prejudice of the proceeding was evident. The MST lawyers removed themselves from the case and did not follow the trial.

The trial ran its short course. In one session alone, the cases involving the actions of 127 policemen were determined at the same time. In Brazil, when the judicial process conducts a legal examination, it is on a case by case basis. In any case, it was impossible for the prosecution to present evidence against all the accused in a single session, because the prosecutor and his assistants had only three hours to present evidence against each defendant, which could only be done one at a time. The policemen were acquitted due to the failure to produce evidence.

In three sessions of the Court, the cases of all 142 policemen, soldiers and officers involved were judged. Only two commanders were found guilty and they remain free pending appeal. The lawyers of the convicted commanders entered a petition to annul sentencing, arguing that if the executioners of 19 workers were innocent how could their commanders be guilty? If what the police and soldiers did was not illegal, then how could those who gave them orders be condemned for ordering an action that is not illegal?

The Public Prosecutor also presented an appeal to the Court of Justice to annul the decision of the court, denouncing the nonsensical procedures in the trial, claiming that the judgment, even if rendered by a jury, contradicted the legal documents filed in the case.

If the Court of Justice of the State of Pará annuls the judgment, it is certain that the lawyers of the MST will return to support a new trial. If the Court of Justice does not annul the judgment that acquitted the police, it will be definitively discredited before the people. Another possibility still remains: to appeal to the Superior Court of Justice.

More news: This week the Federal Public Prosecutor filed a separate case against one of the two officers who had been convicted of the massacre. He is accused with corruption. It seems that he is involved in money laundering for Vale do Rio Doce.

[Companhia Vale do Rio Doce is the parent company of one of Brazil's leading industrial complexes. Its profits are regularly the highest among non-state-owned Brazilian companies in any economic sector. It is the largest holder of mineral rights in Brazil as well as the world's largest producer and exporter of iron ore. Its umbrella of activities encompasses steel, pulp production, gas and oil production, railroads, ports and domestic and international maritime shipping. Current joint ventures with U.S., Colombian, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Korean partners are instrumental to its international strategy.]

WHAT CAN BE DONE? The only solution for ending impunity in the Massacre at Carajás and other cases of murder of agricultural workers is the transference of all crimes against human rights into the sphere of the Federal Justice system, for both verification and judgment.

For all cases new, pending and adjudicated, transfer to the Federal Justice system depends on speeding up the Brazilian Congress' approval of a law of judicial reform, which, due to its complexity, has been more than 10 years in the making. The new government, according to its own declarations, has little interest in advancing it in its present form.

A second alternative would be for either the government or its executive to take the initiative to edit a Provisional Remedy for the transference of human rights cases.

For this, we must send letters, telegrams, faxes and electronic messages to the National Secretary of Human Rights, Dr. Nilmário Miranda, requesting persistence in this course of transferring crimes against human rights to the Federal Justice system. In general, this will free these cases from the influence of the economic powers and political influence of the large estate owners of Brazil.

The National Secretary of Human Rights has status as a special office tied directly to the President of the Republic. Send communications to:

Dr. Nilmario Miranda Secretaria Especial dos Direitos Humanos Esplanada dos Ministério -- Bloco T -- 4º andar -- sala 418 CEP 70064-900 -- Brasília -- DF -- Brasil Fax: 011 55 61 226 2971 (from the US) E-mail: mario.mamede@mj.gov.br

We are thankful for your solidarity and support in bringing an end to impunity in Brazil, and in seeking justice in the case of the Massacre at Carajás.

-- Human Rights Sector, National Secretariat MST

SAMPLE LETTER (feel free to use or write your own)

Dear Hon. Miranda,

I am writing to you today with grave concern for the ongoing impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of the Massacre at Eldorado dos Carajas seven years ago. Understanding your deep commitment to justice and human rights, I am writing to urge you to demand that those responsible are held accountable for the 1996 Massacre at Carajas in a full and fair trial, with an unbiased judge and jury. I am also writing to request that all crimes against human rights be transferred for consideration by the Federal Justice System.

I urge that the new administration end the ongoing and intentional intimidation of Brazilian agricultural workers so that they may continue to struggle for a more just society. The efforts of courageous people of Brazil who are constructing an example of justice and equality does not go unnoticed.

I appreciate your urgent attention to the matters discussed above.

Sincerely,

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MASSACRE DE CARAJÁS
17 DE ABRIL - 7 DE IMPUNIDADE

No dia 17 de abril de 2003 completará 7 anos que aconteceu o massacre de carajás e ninguém foi punido.

HISTÓRICO

No final da tarde do dia 17 de abril de 1996, na curva do "S", município de Eldorado do Carajás, sul do Pará, a Polícia Militar, comandada pelo coronel Mário Colares Pantoja, matou 19 trabalhadores rurais sem terra e feriu gravemente outros 69. Depois de alguns meses, outros 2 lavradores faleceram em razão dos ferimentos.

O Governador do estado do Pará era o Almir Gabriel e o Presidente da República era o Fernando Henrique Cardoso. O Secretário de Segurança Pública era o Paulo Sette Câmara. O Governador e o Secretário de Segurança foram inocentados pelo Superior Tribunal de Justiça -- STJ.

O inquérito policial foi feito pela polícia civil e não conseguiram apontar quem foi que atirou e matou os lavradores. Então, o ministério público decidiu processar todos os policiais que estavam lá no dia do massacre. Foi realizado um julgamento em agosto de 2000. O juiz Ronaldo Valle, absolveu todos os acsusados porque perguntou aos jurados se as provas eram insuficientes para a condenação e os jurados disseram que sim.

O julgamento foi anulado e o juiz Ronaldo Valle foi afastado do caso.

Foi realizado novo julgamento. Mas, antes de realizar o julgamento, tinha uma juíza chamada Eva Coelho do Amaral, que tentou retirar do processo a principal prova da acusação. Era um laudo técnico da UNICAMP (Universidade de Campinas) onde estava demonstrado que os policiais atiraram para matar.

Os advogados do MST travaram uma batalha contra a juíza, e ao final, ela saiu e o laudo foi colocado no processo. O problema é que o juiz que entrou, Roberto Moura, assumiu o processo no dia 10 de maio de 2002, e no dia 13 de maio de 2002, iniciou o julgamento. Na primeira sessão foram julgados 127 policiais.

Ora, é impossível a acusação apresentar provas contra tantos acusados em uma única sessão, porque o promotor de justiça e os advogados assistentes têm apenas 3 horas para acusar, e não dá para apresentar provas contra tantos acusados de uma única vez. E os policiais foram absolvidos por falta de provas.

Ao todo foram julgados 142 policiais, entre soldados e oficiais. Apenas dois comandantes foram condenados e estão em liberdade aguardando o julgamento da apelação.

Hoje estamos aguardando o julgamento da apelação que o Ministério Píublico apresentou contra a absolvição. Se o Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Pará anular o julgamento, certamente os advogados do MST poderão voltar para o processo e ajudar o promotor de justiça no novo julgamento. Se o Tribunal de Justiça não anular o julgamento onde os policiais foram absolvidos, estará definitivamente desacreditada perante o povo.

O QUE FAZER

A única solução para acabar com a impunidade no massacre de carajás e nos outros casos de assassinatos de trabalhadores rurais é a transferência para a Justiça Federal da apuração e processo contra os direitos humanos. Devemos desenvolver uma campanha nacional e internacional exigindo ao Governo Federal que inicie imediatamente um trabalho de convencimento no Congresso Nacional para aprovar uma emenda constitucional para transferir a competência para a Justiça Federal processar os acusados de crimes contra os direitos humanos.

Enviar cartas, telegramas, fax, mensagens eletrônicas para o Secretário Nacional de Direitos Humanos, NILMÁRIO MIRANDA, solicitando empenho e política efetiva contra a impunidade.

NILMÁRIO MIRANDA Secretaria Especial dos Direitos Humanos Esplanada dos Ministério -- Bloco T -- 4º andar -- sala 418 CEP 70064-900 -- Brasília -- DF -- Brasil Fax 55 61 226 2971 -- endereço eletrônico mario.mamede@mj.gov.br

CARTA:

Estimado Senhor Miranda,

Estou escrevendo para expressar a minha preocupacao com a impunidade que estao sendo tratados os responsaveis pelo Massacre em Eldorado dos Carajas, ha sete anos atras. Reconhecendo seu profundo compromisso com a justica e os direitos humanos, escrevo para pedir que os responsaveis sejam julgados pelo Massacre em Carajas, em 1996, em um julgamento completo e justo, onde o juiz e o juri sao escolhidos imparcialmente.

Estou, tambem, pedindo que todos os crimes contra os direitos humanos sejam transferidos pelo Sistema Feredal da Justica.

Espero que a nova admistracao Brasileira ponha um fim na intimidacao sofrida pelos trabalhadores agriculturais, para que esses possam continuar lutando por uma sociedade mais justa. Os esforcos corajosos dos Brasileiros, que estao construindo um exemplo de justica e igualdade, nao passam despercebidos.

Agradeco a sua atencao para com os assuntos tratados acima.

Atenciosamente,

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