On Friday, 12 June 2009, Luiz Lopes left home to participate on a peasants' meeting, to be hold near to the farm “Batente”, in the municipality of “Conceição do Araguaia”(Pará state), and was brutally murdered, with various close-range gunshots.
He was one of the main mobiliserman of the peasants on struggling for the land in Pará and was in the head of takeover of the farm “Forkilha”, on 2007, mobilized by the LCP. This real one takeover that was hardly repressed by direct order of the Governor of Pará Ana Júlia Carepa (member of PT - “Partido dos ‘Trabalhadores” [the “Workers” Party of President Luis Inácio da Silva]), on 19 November of that year, at the so-called “Operation: Peace in the Countryside”, which truly meant a very one “ Operation: Terror in the Countryside”, with more than 200 peasants imprisoned and tens of men, women and children cowardly tortured.
A vigorous campaign reporting these arbitrarinesses had repercussions allover the country. At south Pará and at the capital of the state – Belém - the peasants of LCP, oled by Mr.Luiz, have been at the schools, the university, local labor unions, students` organizations and at the Legislature of state of Pará [“ALEPA: a Assembléia Legislativa do estado do Pará”]. The Comission of The Legislature of state for Human Rights-Pará (CDH-“Comissão de Direitos Humanos”) has held one first public audition at The Professional Class Council of Lawyers of Brazil-OAB [“Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil”] in the municipality “Redenção” to investigate the reports.
In front of members of the Paliament of state of Pará, representatives of The National Agrarian Civilian Oversight Service (“Ouvidoria Agrária Nacional”), The Public Defenders Civil Service (”Defensoria Pública”), The Secretary of state for Justice of Pará, The INCRA- The National Department for Settlement and Agrarian Reformation of Brazil, representatives of Military and Civilian Police state Departments, the aggrived peasants have not bullied themselves and reported the suffered violations.. None of the representatives of Government of Pará and the both Police Forces could contest the presented accounts. Nevertheless the committed outrages had proved, neither measure was taken by government for penalize the responsibles ones.
The other way round, stimulated by the “Peace in The Countryside” of Ana Júlia (PT) and by unpunishment, gunmen at service of huge landowners have turned to execute leaderships and activists of the peasant movement, particularly those who have participated of the fighting for the “Forkilha”. Twelve (20) peasants were assassinated on this period.
CEBRASPO and NAP-Nucleus of People`s Lawyer / Brazil representatives had been for many times at the Pará reporting this killing and demanding measures, but the orderers and gunmen continued unpunished and searched attacking the peasants that are on struggle for, undercovered by the criminous omission by authorities.
Mr. Luiz, at several opportunities, has denounced this occurred deaths and the death threatenings he had come to suffering. And nowadays, when th is death threat tragically confirmsitself, the unpunishment of the committed crimes in the “Operation: Peace in The Countryside” makes the Governor Ana Júlia(PT) accomplice in this one more assassination.
In the case of Mr. Luiz, therefore,it was more one advertised death ! Not only his name had appeared on this list but also he received a new threatening before his execution. On 11 June 2009, a gunmen, known for working to the landlord José Hernandez,went until the house of a peasant women – activist of LCP – to make threats to her and Mr.Luiz, saying: “ – you have gotten the prize and you`ll receive it this weekend”. Moreover, Mr. Luiz was the main witness of accusation against the large landowner José Hernandez, - charged of being the orderer of the murder of another peasant, De Assis, one leadership of the settlement “Nazaré”.
The struggle for the land has been criminalized allover the country, including through the action by Federal Supreme Court of Brazil(“Supremo Tribunal Federal”), sustained and orchestrated by the press monopoly for justify that real genocide of peasants and their leaderships.
This criminous politics, this advertised genocide must be barred immediately. We call out to everyone who supports the struggling for land, to the democrats and progressive ones, for repudiate this one more assassination and for do not permit that this crime remain unpunished.
Penalty for the murderers of Mr. Luiz and more peasants at south Pará state of Brazil!
The People wants land, not repression!
For the end of threatenings and persecutions to the peasants` leaderships!
Against the criminalization of peasant movement!
All support to the struggle for the land!
Brazilian Centre of Solidarity to the Peoples – CEBRASPO
Necleus of People`s Struggle – NAP Brazil
15 June 2009
We request for, as part of the campaign on repudiation to the threats, persecutions and murders of peasants and for the penalty to the assassins of Mr. Luiz, sending messages of repudiation to the addresses below:
1. The Governor of state of Pará (“Governadora do Pará Ana Júlia”): Ana Júlia (there`s only one link: “talk to the Governor at the website of Government of Pará: ‘www.pa.gov.br’ ”).
2. The Secretary of state for Justice and Human Rights – Pará(PA) :
Secretary: José Roberto da Costa Martins: jose.martins@sejudh.pa.gov.br
The Civil Oversight Service: ouvidoria.sejudh@sejudh.pa.gov.br
3. The Special Secretary of State for Human Rights – Federal Government of Brazil:
The Minister: Paulo Vanuchi: gabinete@sedh.gov.br
The Assistant Secretary of State (Secretário Adjunto): Rogério Sottili: rogerio.sottili@sedh.gov.br
The cabinet: Maria Victoria Hernandez: maria.victoria@sedh.gov.br
The General Civilian Oversight Service of State for Citizenship(Ouvidoria Geral da Cidadania): Fermino Fecchio: fermino.fecchio@sedh.gov.br
4)The Comission of Legislature of Pará (ALEPA) for Human Rights (PA)
The President: Arnaldo Jordy: depjordy@alepa.pa.gov.br
5)The Comission of Federal Parliament for Human Rights – Brazil
The President: Luiz Couto: dep.luizcouto@camara.gov.br
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CEBRASPO
Centro Brasileiro de Solidariedade aos Povos
www.cebraspo.com.br
