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UN Hears About Plight of Brazilian Indian |
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Written by Fernanda Muylaert
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Wednesday, 07 December 2005 |
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The assassination of Indians in Brazil and the risky situation of human right defenders were some of the problems pointed out this Tuesday, December 6, by representatives of social entities and movements.
They had a meeting, in the Brazilian capital, Brasília, with United Nations Representative on Human Right Defenders, Hina Jilani, who, after visiting several Brazilian states, will write a preliminary report drawing her conclusions.
During the meeting, the Vice President of the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), Saulo Feitosa, presented an overview of the general situation of the indigenous population in Brazil.
He says that in addition to having their lives threatened, Indians are usually "criminalized", used by land invaders who make them answer for crimes they haven't committed.
The group also talked about the killing of two Indian leaders by policemen in the northeast of the country; the violence endured by missionaries; and threats suffered by communities who live isolated.
The non-governmental organizations Justiça Global and Terra de Direitos presented to Jilani a document describing 51 cases of life threats and intimidation to human right defenders in 17 Brazilian states.
With the document, the NGOs expect to promote a public policy for human right defenders, since the country already has a program to protect these defenders.
Hina Jilani will stay in Brazil till the 20th. She will visit cities in the states of Pará, Bahia, Pernambuco, São Paulo, and Santa Catarina. Jilani was invited to Brazil by the federal government.
Agência Brasil
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