URGENT: Sign-on letter for Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous area, Brazil

Below please find a letter to Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso regarding the demarcation of Raposa/Serra do Sol. He is leaving office on January first, so this campaign is aimed at having him ratify Raposa/Serra do Sol before he does so. The letter will be faxed this Wednesday, December 11, with as many signatures as we can gather. We hope you'll sign on to it with us.

Please send your name, title, and organization's name to raposa@wald.org by Wednesday morning, 11 am New York time. For more info, read below:

A few words about Raposa/Serra do Sol (RSS): it is the home of the Macuxi, Wapixana, Taurepang and Ingarikó peoples numbering some 14,000 people in that area alone. RSS has been the focus of an intense struggle over land rights for over 20 years you will likely remember the many campaigns that the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) and its allies have carried out over the years. Violence and a series of human rights abuses have resulted from the lack of definitive recognition of the area, making demarcation a major priority for Indigenous peoples in the region. In December 1998, the Minister of Justice signed a decree designating RSS as an Indigenous area. All that remains for RSS to be fully recognized, therefore, is the President's ratification.

Why now? Last week, the Superior Court in Brasilia denied a motion filed by the State of Roraima in 1999, which sought to nullify the decree demarcating Raposa Serra do Sol. The motion had impeded the removal of invaders (mainly ranchers and rice farmers), as well as the ratification needed for definitive recognition of Raposa/Serra do Sol.

With the decision, however, ratification can move forward.

Colleagues in Brazil say that the situation is extremely tense, with rice farmers protesting in Boa Vista, the state capital of Roraima, and doing all they can to prevent final ratification of RSS. There is hope, however, that the outgoing president signs the ratification before he leaves office.

We think this is a critical moment, and that there is a chance that RSS is finally ratified. This would be a major victory for the Indigenous peoples of Brazil, who have fought so long for its full recognition.

If you're not able to sign on by Tuesday night, please do send your own letter when you can. Feel free to use the attached as a model; based on conversations with our colleagues in Brazil, we stress that all letters should be polite and positive, given the current situation. E-mail addresses and fax numbers can be found below; please send a copy of your letter to: raposa@wald.org.

LETTER to sign on follows:

December 11, 2003

Ilmo. Sr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso
President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
Via Fax: +55 61 224 0289
E-mail: lucena@planalto.gov.brlucena@planalto.gov.br

Dear Mr. President:

As non-governmental organizations that support sustainable development, human rights, and Indigenous peoples, we have followed the demarcation of Indigenous lands in Brazil closely over your 8 years of government.

We recognize and commend you for the significant advances that have been made in the process of demarcating Indigenous lands, fulfilling the Brazilian Constitution and contributing to the sustainable development of the country. Complex issues found solution, and Indigenous peoples, who have long fought for the respect of their rights, finally had their land rights recognized. Examples with which we are familiar include the demarcation of the Alto Rio NegroIndigenous area in Amazonas, the demarcation of the Panará's land in Mato Grosso/Pará, and the ratification of the Xukuru area, in Pernambuco. Another example was the decree demarcating Raposa Serra do Sol in Roraima, signed in 1998.

Unfortunately, we understand that final ratification of Raposa Serra do Sol was prevented by a legal challenge in Brazilian courts since 1999. We've learned that this issue was recently resolved, and that the arguments against the full recognition of Raposa Serra do Sol were denied.

We therefore respectfully request that you consider the possibility of ratifying the demarcation of Raposa Serra do Sol. It is the last major unresolved issue in terms of demarcation of Indigenous lands in Brazil. Once resolved, this will surely consolidate the recognition obtained by your administration both in the international community and Brazil, in terms of your treatment of the rights of Indigenous peoples.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,

CC:

Paulo de Tarso Ribeiro
Minister of Justice
E-mail: gabinetemj@mj.gov.br
Fax: +55 61 322 6817

Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro
Secretary of State for Human Rights
E-mail: paulo.pinheiro@mj.gov.br
Fax: +55 61 226 7980

raposa@wald.org