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Brazil:
AMAZON INDIANS MURDERED ON PROTECTED LANDS
URGENT ACTION REQUESTED
On August 17, 1993, an entire village of Yanomami Indians was
found massacred in the region of Homoxi-Xidea in the Brazilian
state of Roraima, Northern Amazon. Reports from the daily
newspaper "Estado de Sao Paulo" say that the number of dead is
over forty. The massacre occurred within the boundaries of the
legally demarcated Yanomami Park.
Indians who escaped the massacre reported that gold miners
invaded the village, slashed the throats of the women and
children and mutilated their bodies.
Nine thousand Yanomami inhabit a large, isolated territory near
Brazil's northern border with Venezuela. The Brazilian
constitution protects their territory from outsiders. Recently,
however, the region has been overrun by thousands of gold
prospectors.
The miners have brought disease to the area and have polluted the
region's rivers with the mercury they use to pan for gold.
Politicians and military officials have recently stepped up
lobbying efforts to get the Brazilian Congress to revoke the
Indians' constitutional right to their ancestral lands. Many fear
that such changes in the law will inevitably lead to more
killings, as well as an accelerated destruction of the
rainforest.
Write your own letter or sign the letter below and fax it to
Brazilian President Dr. Itamar Franco at 011 55 61 226 7566.
For more information, contact the Amanaka'a Amazon Network,
339 Lafayette St. #8, New York, NY 10012, (212) 674-4646.
*
August 19, 1993
Exmo Sr.
Dr. Itamar Franco
President
Federal Republic of Brazil
Fax: 011 55 61 226 7566
Your Excellency:
We the undersigned are outraged with the recent massacre of
Yanomami people in the Brazilian state of Roraima, Northern
Amazon.
We were informed that at least ten children, seven women and two
men were killed by gold miners on August 17, 1993 in the region
of Homoxi-Xidea, within the boundaries of the legally demarcated
Yanomami Park.
We see this action as a violent demonstration of disregard for
Yanomami life. We are concerned that this most recent wave of
violence occurs at at a time when the military and politicians
seem to be trying to take away the right of indigenous peoples to
live in peace on their lands. This clear act of disrespect for
the Brazilian justice system by the goldminers in Roraima will
only encourage further violence if not punished.
We urge you to take immediate action in order to permanently
expel the thousands of miners who are illegally working within
Yanomami territory. Continuation of this genocide against the
Yanomami people is unacceptable.
We therefore request that you use the power of your position to
immediately order the investigation and proper punishment of all
people involved with this act. We expect you to guarantee justice
for the Yanomami, and reaffirm your government's commitment to
protect the human rights of all Brazilians.
Sincerely,
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