Motion of rejection and solidarity with local leaders facing threats in Acre - Brazil

Press Release

More than 80 organizations and individuals from all over the world sent today the letter enclosed below to relevant authorities in Brazil, Germany and California / USA rejecting “any and all attempts to intimidate or censor people and organizations that critique and oppose the environmental and climate policies implemented by the Acre government.”

In the letter the organizations and individuals reaffirm their “solidarity with all those who suffer threats or retaliation because  of their firm political stance to defend their territories against the incessant exploitation of capital: You are not alone!”

August 3rd 2017  

Tião Viana Governador do Acre gabinete.governador@ac.gov.br

Dr. Torquato Lorena Jardim
Ministro da Justiça e Segurança Pública assessoria.ministro@mj.gov.br; marcelo.varella@mj.gov.br; gracioneide.rodrigues@mj.gov.br

Franklimberg Ribeiro de Freitas Presidente da FUNAI-
BSB presidencia@funai.gov.br

Ministério Público Federal-Acre atendimento.cidadao@mpf.mp.br

6a Camara de Coordenação e Revisão do MPF-Brasilia 6ccr@mpf.mp.br

Christiane Ehringhaus
KFW – programa REDD Early Movers Christiane.ehringhaus@kfw.de

Jerry Brown
Governor of the State of California Fax: + 1 - (916) - 558-3160

Mary Nichols, Chair
California Air Resources Board - mnichols@arb.ca.gov
cc: Floyd Vergara, Chief Industrial Strategies Division -- floyd.vergara@arb.ca.gov
cc: Rajinder Sahota, Assistant Division Chief Cap-and-Trade Program
cc: Industrial Strategies Division-- rajinder.sahota@arb.ca.gov
cc: Jason Gray, Branch Chief Cap-and-Trade Program -- jason.gray@arb.ca.gov
cc: Veronica Eady, Assistant Executive Officer, Environmental Justice - Veronica.Eady@arb.ca.gov
cc: Office of the CARB Ombudsman - ombcomm@arb.ca.gov
cc: La Ronda Bowen, Ombudsman - ombudsman@arb.ca.gov

Minister Dr. Gerd Müller
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) gerd.mueller@bmz.bund.de
Cc:: Lena Siciliano Brêtas lena.bretas@bmz.bund.de

Ministerin Dr. Barbara Hendricks
Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit (BMUB) barbara.hendricks@bundestag.de
cc: Programmbüro Internationale Klimaschutzinitiative – programmbuero@programmbuero-klima.de  

Motion of rejection  and solidarity with local leaders facing threats in Acre - Brazil

From May 26-28, 2017, a gathering was held in Xapuri, in the state of Acre, Brazil, around "the effects of environmental and climate policies on traditional peoples." In addition to the publication of the Xapuri Declaration, videos were disseminated with statements from indigenous leaders, seringueiros (rubber tappers) and other participants at the event. Since  then, many of those leaders have been pressured and threatened by the „owners of power in Acre“.

Outraged by this latest aggression against the rights of peoples and communities that live in and depend on forests, those of us who participated in the aforementioned gathering—and those who support Amazonian peoples and communities' struggles—express our vehement rejection of any and all attempts to intimidate or censor people and organizations that critique and oppose the environmental and climate policies implemented by the Acre government.

We specifically denounce and reject attempts by the Acre government, and non-governmental organizations associated with it, to slander such critics—in particular their claim that critics' questioning could make it impossible to receive resources that could benefit the people of  Acre's forest. We know that the government has sufficient resources to protect the rights and serve the true interests of indigenous peoples and local communities. There is no need to put these peoples and communities' futures at risk through questionable and nebulous projects. The government must act transparently in investing the resources it has already received through such projects, disclosing who the true beneficiaries are.

We demand that the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) cease to intimidate officials who participate in these civil society discussions and meetings. We also demand that FUNAI fulfills its mission, which is to protect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples. With its intimidations, FUNAI is once again harming these indigenous people's rights to free expression.

We understand that, as the bankruptcy of the underlying model of the environmental and climate policies and projects in question becomes more obvious, those whose private interests are intertwined with such policies and projects tend to defend them in increasingly repressive and violent ways. As the philosopher Paul Valer once said: "He who cannot attack the argument attacks the arguer."

We cannot tolerate these continued attacks! That is why we reiterate our support for the Xapuri Declaration. We reaffirm our solidarity with all those who suffer threats or retaliation because  of their firm political stance to defend their territories against the incessant exploitation of capital: You are not alone!  

ORGANIZAÇAO PAÍS
Rettet den Regenwald e. V. Alemanha
Forum Ökologie & Papier Alemanha
Down to Earth Consult Alemanha
Amigos de la Tierra Argentina Argentina
Friends of the Earth Australia Australia
Red de Comunicaciones Indigenas Apachita Bolivia
Center for Environment from Bosnia and Herzegovina Conselho Indigenista Missionário - CIMI Bosnia Brasil
Fórum Mudanças Climáticas e Justiça Social Brasil
Equipo Itinerante Manaus y Equipo Itinerante BOLPEBRA Brasil
Instituto Agrario de Chimoio-Manica Brasil
Associação Movimento Paulo Jackson - Ética, Justiça, Cidadania (Bahia) Brasil
Articulação Antinuclear Brasileira Brasil
Comissão Paroquial de Meio Ambiente de Caetité (Caetité - Bahia) Brasil
FASE Bahia Brasil
Centro de Estudos e Defesa do Negro do Pará - CEDENPA Brasil
Centro de Educação, Pesquisa e Assessoria Sindical e Popular - CEPASP. Brasil
Coordenação nacional de articulação das comunidades negras rural quilombolas - CONAQ Brasil
CDDH Marçal de Souza Tupã-i Brasil
Comissão Pastoral da Terra – CPT-Nacional Brasil
Terra de Direitos Brasil
Conselho de gestão kaapor Brasil
Aliança RECOs – Redes de Cooperação Comunitária Sem Fronteiras Brasil
Movimento Mulheres pela P@Z! Brasil
INSTITUTO AMAZÔNIA SOLIDÁRIA (IAMAS) Brasil
Pastoral nacional da Mulher Marginalizada - SP Brasil
Justiça Global Brasil
Fórum de Direitos Humanos e da Terra MT Brasil
Centro Burnier Fé e Justiça Brasil
O Movimento dos Pequenos Agricultores - MPA Brasil
FAMOC - Federação das Associações de Moradores de Cariacica Brasil
O Instituto Madeira Vivo Brasil
Aliança dos Rios Panamazonicos Brasil
Aliança dos 4 Rios da Amazonia: Madeira, Teles Pires, Tapajós e Xingu Brasil
Núcleo de Pesquisa Estado, Sociedade e Desenvolvimento na Brasil
Amazônia  Ocidental (NUPESDAO-UFAC)  
Amigos da Terra Brasil Brasil
Combate Racismo Ambiental Brasil
Red de Accion por los Derechos Ambientales (RADA) Chile
Censat Agua Viva-Amigos de la Tierra Colombia Colombia
COECOCEIBA - Amigos de la Tierra Costa Rica Costa Rica
Red de Coordinación en Biodiversidad Costa Rica
Asociación Conservacionista YISKI Costa Rica
Accion Ecologica de Ecuador Ecuador
Cesta - Amigos de la Tierra El Salvador
Salva la Selva España
Asociación galega Cova Crea España
Ecologistas en Acción España
Friends of the Earth - US Eua
Clean Energy Alliance Eua
Global Justice Ecology Project Eua
Indigenous Environmental Network Eua
WilderUtopia Eua
The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water Eua
Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles Eua
Oakland Climate Action Coalition Eua
New Wind Association Finlandia
Emmaus Aurinkotehdas ry Finlandia
Friends of the Earth Finland Finlandia
Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña - OFRANEH Honduras
Clifton Justice and Peace Commission Inglaterra
Amigos de la Tierra Internacional Internacional
World Rainforest Movement Internacional
Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) Malasia
Borneo Project Malasia
Movimiento Mesoamericano contra el Modelo extractivo Minero - M4- México
Otros Mundos A.C./Amigos de la Tierra México México
Medio Ambiente y Sociedad, A.C. México
U Yits Ka'an, La Escuela de Agricultura Ecológica de Maní Yucatán México
Organización Campesina de Producción Por Un Mundo Mejor OCPMM México
Justica Ambiental/FOE Moçambique
Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON) Nepal
Social Action Nigeria
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) Nigeria
Colectivo Voces Ecológicas COVEC Panamá
Lucha indígena Peru
The Corner House Reino Unido
EcoNexus Reino Unido
Taiga research and protection agency Russia
Agro-ecolgy and green environment association Tunisia
REDES-Amigos de la Tierra Uruguay Uruguay
Environmental Association for Latin America - EALA  
Asociación ambiental e cultural Petón do Lobo  
   
   
   
NOME PAIS
Klaus Goeckler Alemanha
Christoph Hess Alemanha
Peter Clausing Alemanha
Eduardo Lofiego Argentina
Claudio Sergio Nadal Argentina
Clara Riveros Sosa Argentina
Marina Panziera Argentina
Gerardo Roberto Martínez Argentina
Lucas Horacio Moavro Argentina
Lino Pizzolon Argentina
Pablo A. Regalsky Bolivia
Helder Gomes Brasil
Dom Erwin Brasil
Carlos Alberto Lungarzo Brasil
joaninha Honório Madeira Brasil
Marly Cuesta Brasil
Izalene Tiene Brasil
Laia Serra Valls Brasil
Carlos de Uríbarri Brasil
Zoraide Vilasboas Brasil
Patricia de la Roca Brasil
Schaiani Vanessa Bortolini Brasil
Ivo Lesbaupin Brasil
André F. Barbosa Brasil
Elmara de Sousa Guimarãaes Brasil
Luz Guillén Cornejo Brasil
João Claudio Zanatta Brasil
Joannes Paulus Silva Forte Brasil
Matheus Otterloo Brasil
Amilton Pelegrino de Mattos Brasil
Rubens Nunes da Mota Brasil
Victoria Puntriano Zuniga de Melo Brasil
Vânia Regina Carvalho Brasil
Sebastião F. Raulino Brasil
Fernando Rios Brasil
Rodolfo Ricardo Geiser Brasil
Ivo Poletto Brasil
Aldisio Gomes Filgueiras Brasil
Verônica Dantas Meneses Brasil
Amyra El Khalili Brasil
Nayá Fernandes Brasil
Leonel Wohlfahrt Brasil
ORMIFRAN PESSOA CAVALCANTE Brasil
Gerhard Dilger Brasil
Alexandre Bitar Brasil
Djalma de Sá Brasil
Clóvis Cavalcanti Brasil
Simone Raquel Batista Ferreira Brasil
Paulo Roberto e Souza Brasil
Antonio Valentim Brasil
Maria Madalena Ferreira Brasil
Maria Suelí de Aguiar Brasil
Orlando Mantilla Torres Colombia
Fernando Javier Quirola Anzoátegui Equador
Maria Jesús Pinto Iglesias España
LUZ MARÍA PAZ VIVAS España
Kenneth Ruby Eua
Mari Rose Taruc Eua
Valerie Tomlinson Inglaterra
Hugh Lee Irlanda
Mauricio Macossay Vallado México
Mauricio Macossay Vallado México
Nemesio J. Rodríguez M. México
Jorge Chávez de la Peña México
Argelia Arriaga García Puebla México
AJELE SUNDAY Nigeria
Sue Ingham Reino Unido
Flurina Doppler  
Francisco Almenar  
Thomas Engel  
Mugove Walter Nyika  
Jan Dietrick,  
Pam Tau Lee  
Laura Borsellino  
Sonia Mariza Martuscelli  
Maria Fernanda Gebara  
João Marcelo Lima Simões  
Josefina Cervera Arce  
Isabella harding