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!
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,
<sign>
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,
