Dear Friends of the MST and Via Campesina,
In response to the international campaign Terra de Direitos launched to
support the Via Campesina’s occupation of Syngenta Seeds, yesterday the
multinational corporation published a statement in three of Brazil’s
largest daily newspapers, including the Estado de São Paulo....
For more than two years, nearly 500 rural landless workers from the Chico Mendes Encampment have fought for the ownership for 580 hectares of land of the Engenho São João. This is part of the Usina Tiúma, owned by the Votorantim Group, one the businesses that owns many plantations and large estates in Brazil...The farm has been idle for 17 years, since the Usina Tiúma closed. Some of those now living on the land are the ex-employees of the farm. After its closure, the workers no longer have fixed employment and are without work and homes.
Friends of the MST,
We are pleased to report that Minister Nilson Naves, of the Supreme Justice Tribunal, has just revoked the decree of preventative imprisonment filed against our comrade, Jaime Amorim, member of the MST’s National Coordinating Body for the state of Pernambuco.
This is an enormous victory against the oligarchs of Pernambuco, and it is the result of the solidarity demonstrated by all who joined us in the fight to defend Jaime Amorim!
We send thanks to all who prepared and sent letters to Minister Naves, and we share a warm embrace with you all.
- Human Rights Sector of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST)
Dear Friends of the MST,
As many of you are aware, on the 4th of July of 2006, a judge from the 11th District Court of Belo Horizonte ordered the preventative imprisonment of our colleague Enio, member of the MST's National Coordinating Body and longtime Human Rights activist...On Tuesday [09/05/06] we filed for habeas corpus at the Minas Gerais Tribunal of Justice. It is very important that all organizations, movements, friends of the MST and others send emails/letters to the authorities, demanding the immediate release of our dear colleague.
[09/13/06] UPDATE ON EMAIL CAMPAIGN
Greetings!
Thank you to all who have signed and sent the letter in support of the Via Campesina occupation of Syngenta Seeds in Santa Teresa do Oeste, Paraná, Brazil. Most of you have now received the email [SEE BELOW] in response from Syngenta. If you have not sent your letter yet, PLEASE DO SO TODAY!
The email sent out by Syngenta exhibits that your emails/letter are making a difference! Clearly, this email campaign has upset Syngenta enough for them to respond.
In Solidarity,
Terra de Direitos
~~~
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Your e-mail
From: syngenta.seeds@syngenta.com
RE: Your e-mail Dear Sir/Madam, We have received your mail on the
illegal occupation of our research station in Cascavel. We refute the
allegations in this email. We have fully complied with all applicable
laws and regulations and will continue to co-operate with the relevant
authorities in Brazil.
SYNGENTA SEEDS LTDA.
~~~
Jaime Amorim, member of the MST’s National Coordinating Body, is being detained by the authorities in Pernambuco (PE). On Monday, August 21st, Jaime was driving to the funeral of two murdered Landless Workers, both shot and killed by hired gunmen this past Sunday, when he was stopped and arrested by the police.
NOTE: Brazil's Superior Justice Tribunal decided in favor of habeas corpus for Jaime Amorim, releaseing him from prison on Monday, August 28th. Thanks to everyone who demonstrated their solidarity in this important fight!
On July the 31st of 2004, over 400 MST families occupied the Santa Filomena Estate in Brazil’s southern state of Paraná. During the occupation, MST activist Elias de Meura, 20 years of age, was shot and killed by gunmen hired to keep the landless from occupying the estate...This Thursday, June 22nd of 2006, judges will hear an appeal regarding the estate. If the appeal is approved, the 400 MST families, or roughly 1,200 people, may be forcibly removed from the land! Letters of support for the families must be received by June 21st.
Campaign for the Expropriation of the Coqueiros (Coconut Palm) Farm
**SOLIDARITY LETTER INCLUDED**
Dear Friends,
The MST recently kicked off a campaign for the expropriation of seven thousand hectares of vacant lands known as the Fazenda Guerra, located in the municipality of Coqueiros do Sul. Currently, this vast, uninhabited area belonging to the Guerra family comprises 30% of the total land area of the municipality while only employing about 15 temporary laborers. The MST postulates that the land should be transformed into a community for 450 families, generating 950 jobs in its infancy and serving as a catalyst for diversified production in the region and stimulating overall economic growth.
**SOLIDARITY LETTER INCLUDED**
Dear Friends of the MST,
The MST’s Human Rights Sector is asking for your urgent support and solidarity.
On November 20, 2004, 18 armed gunmen, commanded by the rancher Adriano Chafik, attacked the MST’s Terra Prometida (Promised Land) encampment. They shot and killed five rural workers, wounding another 12. This sad episode became known in Brazil as the Massacre of Felisburgo. [See ‘BACKGROUND’ @ BOTTOM OF PAGE].
**SOLIDARITY LETTER INCLUDED**
Dear Friends of the MST,
The MST’s National Coordinating Body is asking for your urgent support and solidarity.
Women leaders in rural Brazil, whose only crime was to organize themselves in defense of life, biodiversity, and food sovereignty for the Brazilian people, have come under deliberate attack by the State Police of Rio Grande do Sul.
