Situation of Indigenous Peoples in Mato Grosso do Sul
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INDIGENIST MISSIONARY COUNCIL - CIMI
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OBSERVATIONS OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
threatened the Apyka'y, stating that if they did not abandon their The body of Genivaldo was found later and Rolindo is still missing.
camp on the roadside, they would die. The community has no
materials with which to rebuild their camp and is living in fear
of more attacks. The security guards of Gaspem Segurança have
denied community members access to water on the ranch and has
been implicated in other attacks on Guarani communities where
several Guarani leaders have been killed.
e) The Guarani-Kaiowá people of Apyka'y have lived on the side
of the road next to a ranch in a makeshift camp for six years. They
were forced from their ancestral land a decade ago when it was
occupied by ranchers. The most recent attempt by the Apyka'y to
return to their traditional land was unsuccessful, and in April 2009
a court order was obtained by the ranchers to formally evict the
Apyka'y from their lands. It is believed the rancher who obtained
the eviction permit in April 2009 authorized the gunmen to enter
the community and stop them from collecting water.
f) In addition, there has been violence against Guarani Indians
from Sassoró and Porto Lindo reserves, in Tacurú and Japorã
municipalities, respectively. On 8 December 2009, they were
attacked by ranchers and security guards as they had attempted
to reoccupy their ancestral land of Mbarakay in the municipality of
Iguatemi. Five indigenous persons were wounded by bullets; some
were beaten and thrown on the top of the trucks with their hands
and feet tied, and taken to Sassoró. There, they were beaten again.
They were found by a doctor on the side of Sete Placas road. Five
Guarani individuals were taken to the hospital in Tacurú.
g) Another conflict between indigenous peoples and ranchers
occurred at the end of October 2009 when two Guarani teachers-
Rolindo and Genivaldo Vera-disappeared during an attack on
their community by gunmen close to Triunfo ranch in Paranhos.
The Special Rapporteur regrets that there is no record of a reply
to his communication from the Government of Brazil in the files of
the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the time
of finalization of this report. The Special Rapporteur notes that he
had requested a response within 60 days of his communication,
which lapsed 15 May 2010.
The Special Rapporteur is deeply concerned about the
allegations of violence against the Guarani people and the severe
impact that the aggressive policy of governments in the past to sell
large tracts of traditional lands to non-indigenous farmers has had
on the Guarani communities. As stated in his 2009 report on the
situation of indigenous peoples in Brazil (A/HRC/12/24/Add.2,
para. 46), this past policy perpetuated the Guaraní's deprivation
of their traditional lands and deprived them of adequate means of
subsistence. Despite various government initiatives to address the
situation of Guarani people in Mato Grosso du Sul, dire conditions
among them have persisted, as observed in that report. The Special
Rapporteur will continue to monitor closely the situation of the
indigenous people in Mato Grosso do Sul, and he would appreciate
a response from the Government of Brazil to his 15 March 2010
letter and an update on the situation.View entire presentation