[08/31/06] CHRISTIAN AID REPORTS: Brazilian activists shot dead in broad daylight

Two Brazilian activists fighting for the rights of landless farmers were shot dead in front of dozens of witnesses at their protest camp, Christian Aid has learned.

Josias de Barros Ferreira and Samuel Matias Barbosa were leading members of the Christian Aid partner, Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) which fights for land reform in Brazil.

MST organises landless workers to occupy land that is not being farmed - known as 'unproductive land' and set up camps, in order to press the government to honour its land reform promises. The law stipulates that unproductive land can be forfeited to anyone willing to use it.

The Alto da Balanca camp, erected in north east Brazil six years ago, was one of these camps. Around fifty landless families lived there, working the land.

In the past year, a Brazilian petrochemical company has expressed interest in running an oil pipeline underneath the land occupied by the MST camp.

The man who killed the activists had been living at the camp and had been trying to convince the settlers to take the money offered by the company to leave the land, claiming the company would pay them for it.

The company denies any association with the killers.

At a camp meeting, the MST collective refused to accept the money, since it is against the movement's principles.

Soon afterwards, Josias got into a tussle with the gunman who was trying to remove the MST flag marking the encampment.

According to witnesses, Josias said the man would have to kill him if he wanted to remove the flag. He was then shot dead. Samuel tried to help Josias and was also shot.

Even though dozens of people witnessed the assassination and the name of the gunman was well known in the camp, police have failed to track down the perpetrators. Although an arrest warrant has been issued for the killer and two associates.

Cassia Bechara, regional spokesperson for MST, told Christian Aid: 'We demand not only that the perpetrators are imprisoned, but also the crime's mastermind.'

Instead of investigating the crime, the police jailed Jaime Amorim, MST's national leader, the day after the killings.

He was accused of disobedience and inciting a crime during a demonstration at the US Embassy in Recife, in November 2005 - an allegation based on events that took place almost a year ago.

The authorities stated that Jaime must be detained, as he was a, 'risk to the peace and security of the good citizens of Brazil.'

Earlier he told Christian Aid: 'For small farmers who were born in the countryside, the land is their only means of survival. MST fights for land.'

He was released on Monday after intervention by MST's lawyers.

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