Armed militia of VM - Vallourec Mannesmann – cowardly murdered geraizero of the canabrava community
Municipality of Guaraciama / district of Bocaiúva – North of Minas Gerais

Antonio Joaquim dos Santos, farmer and extractivist, aged 32, married, father of four children was cowardly murdered by an armed guard of VM -Vallourec Mannesmann – a company that has been planting thousands of hectares of eucalyptus monocultures in the North of Minas Gerais. This murder is the consequence of a violent process of expropriation of the indigenous peoples of the North of Minas Gerais due to the spread of the eucalyptus monoculture in the region. Pursuant to information obtained in the community, the murder took place yesterday, February 26, 2007 at 9 p.m., when Joaquim, together with his daughter, Eudisleia dos Santos, aged 16, returned home after collecting firewood for domestic use. Two armed guards hired by VM, known as Claudinei and Joãozinho de Carmina, seized Antonio Joaquim, tied him up, beat him and fired two shots in his mouth in front of her daughter.

This happened in one of the plantations of eucalyptus monoculture certified by the Forest Stewardship Council –FSC- that theoretically guarantees an ecological management and social accountability. For many years, the Rede Alerta contra o Deserto Verde (Alert Against the Green Desert Network,) a network that fights against the indiscriminate expansion of eucalyptus monocultures in Brazil, has been denouncing VM for the environmental, social and economic impact of its plantations. Last year, the community of Canabrava submitted an international denounce, giving an account of the grievances and lack of alternatives, among them, the deforestation of the cerrados (Brazilian savannah) caused by the company, depriving the community from access to firewood and native fruits, apart from the draught of the Canabrava river. The reply of VM was to increase pressure over the community, that since then lived terrified with the threats of the militia that even pressed when children, coming back from school brought small bunches of firewood in the back of their bikes.

According to informants of the community, Antonio Joaquim was taken by the guards of VM from the property of his brother, where he used to collect firewood. They seized Antonio and his daughter, dragged them to the area of VM, beat them and threatened to kill Eudisleia. Some residents that witnessed the event requested that they were freed. Without paying attention to this, they seized them, tied Antonio in a tree and fired two shots in his mouth in the presence of his daughter.

This is not the first time that members of the community of Canabrava are threatened by the armed militia of VM. There are different stories and denunciations of seizure of carts, working tools of farmers and oral and physical violence against residents. At present, terror prevails in the community, and the residents are losing their right to come and go, due to the constant threats. The Alert Against the Green Desert Network set in motion authorities in agricultural matters and human rights for an immediate and energetic intervention against the abuses of VM, to wit: the Human Rights, Environment and Agricultural Conflicts Coordinating Office of the Public Prosecution Service of Minas Gerais through Dr. Afonso Henriques de Miranda Teixeira, the president of the Human Rights Committee of the Legislative Assembly, Representative Durval Ângelo, the National Agricultural Magistry through the magistrate Gercino José da Silva Filho, the Public Prosecutor of the São Francisco basin, Dr. Paulo César, the ITER through Dr. Luiz Chaves. Denounces will be forwarded to the FSC Brazil and FSC International for an immediate cancellation of the Green Seal granted to VM, in spite of being aware of the environmental impacts and the inhuman conditions under which this company treats the Community.

REDE ALERTA CONTRA O DESERTO VERDE
CAA NM - CPT - FÓRUM REGIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO SUSTENTÁVEL DO NORTE DE
MINAS - MST - ASA MINAS GERAIS