Farmer Libero Monteiro de Lima, who en 1983 had Marsal de Souza
Tupa~'y, a leader of the Guarani Nhandeva people, killed, will stand
trial on 29th and 30th of this month in Ponta Pora~, State of Mato
Grosso do Sul. It is an important judgement, since there is only one
such case in the Brazilian story, that of the killing of Indian
Xakriaba' Rosalino Gomes de Oliveira, in connection with which all
the guilty ones were convicted.
Marsal was one of the most important Indian leaders in Brazil.
He was the one who in 1980 read one of the messages of the Indians to
pope John Paul II, who was visiting Brazil then. A defender of Guarani
lands, Marsal took part in the creation of the first Indian
organization in Brazil. He was killed because of a dispute over the
Pirakua' Indian Area, then invaded by farmer Libero Monteiro de Lima.
He was killed on November 25, 1983 ate the age of 63. Fifteen days
before, he had been contacted by an employee of farmer Libero Monteiro,
who offered him money to persuade the Guarani to leave the Pirakua'
Area. Marsal turned the proposal down and got a death threat. At 9:00
p.m. of November 25th, Marsal was getting ready to sleep in his hammock
at the drugstore of the Campestre village, where he lived and worked as
a male nurse, when he was caught by suprise by Romulo Gamarra, an
employee of the farmer, who shot him dead with five .38 gun bullets.
Since then, several difficulties were created to prevent the
guilty ones from being punished. According to the government of the
State of Mato Grosso do Sul, the Guarani Indian was killed by his wife.
The State Attorney refused to inform against the farmer and his
employee, arguing that the case was within the jurisdiction of the
state courts, which on their turn rejected his arguments. In Ponta
Pora~, where the trial will take place, the judge only concluded the
preliminary proceedings in August of last year, nine years after the
crime, when he finally accused Libero Monteiro de Lima.
CIMI believes that letters and telegrams sent to authorities in
Brazil expressing concern about the case and confidence that Libero
Monteiro will be punished would play an important role. They should
be sent to the following addresses:
Presidente Itamar Franco Ministro Mauricio Correa
Pala'cio do Planalto Ministirio da Justiica-4o. andar
Prasa dos Tres Poderes Esplanada dos Ministerios
70150-900 - Brasilia - DF 70064-900 - Brasilia - DF
Governador Pedro Pedrossian Jair Roberto de Quadros
Governadoria Pque dos Poderes Juiz de Direito de Ponta Pora~
79030-001 - Campo Grande - MS Rua Baltazar Saldanha s/n
79900-000 - Ponta Pora~ - MS
Brasilia, March 11th, 1993
CIMI - Indianist Missionary Council