Brazil Urgent Action

South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (saiic@igc.apc.org)
Fri, 8 Dec 1995 16:44:08 -0800

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SAIIC URGENT ACTION! --- Brazil: VICENTE CA=D1AS CASE WILL BE JUDGED

After insistent appeals and much political pressure, the Court of
Law of Juina, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, scheduled for December 14
an audience to hear prosecuting witnesses of the murder of priest
Vicente Ca=F1as in April of 1987. Six persons are being accused of the
crime, including farmers of the region and a former police officer.
Vicente Ca=F1as was a Spanish Jesuit priest naturalized Brazilian who
worked with Indian peoples for almost twenty years. When he was
killed, he was working with the Enawene-Nawe people (Saluma~ area),
which gave him the name Kiwxi. Farmers regarded him as the person
responsible for the resistance posed by Indians against
the invasion of their territory.
The murder of Ca=F1as was clarified through an investigation
carried out by Cimi and OPAN (Anchieta Operation), in parallel to the
one made by the police. The judgment is being anxiously expected, as
social movements of the city fear that it may be postponed once more,
as in 1994. Because of this possibility, we are asking that faxes be
sent to the authorities listed hereunder:

Mr Antonio Hans
MD. Secret=E1rio de Justi=E7a de Estado do MT
Cuiab=E1-MT - Brasil
=46AX 55 65 322 8937

Mr Dante Martins de Oliveira
MD. Governador do Estado de Mato Grosso
Cuiab=E1-MT - Brasil
=46AX 55 65 644 2205

MR Lic=EDnio Capinelli
Presidente do Supremo Tribunal de MT
Cuiab=E1-MT - Brasil
=46AX 55 65 644 1051

Mr. Marcos J. Martins Siqueira
MD. Juiz de Direito no munic=EDpio de Ju=EDna
Mato Grosso - Brasil
=46AX 55 65 566 1929

SAMPLE LETTER:

Mr Dante Martins de Oliveira
MD. Governador do Estado de Mato Grosso
Cuiab=E1-MT - Brasil
=46AX (065) 644 2205

Prezado senhor,

H=E1 tempo estamos acompanhando o caso "VICENTE CANAS" e esperamos
ansiosamente que desta vez possa haver um veredito final, identificando e
processando os autores do assassinato do Ir. Vicente.
Acreditamos que uma decis=E3o definitiva e justa =E9 importante tamb=E9=
m
para a imagem de seu governo a n=EDvel da comunidade internacional.
N=F3s e outras importantes organiza=E7=F5es dos Estados Unidos, acompan=
ham,
atenciosamente, este julgamento.

Respeitosamente

<Your Name>
<Affiliation>

---------------------------------
(Info from CIMI)

SAIIC - The South and Meso American Indian Rights Center

SAIIC
PO Box 28703
Oakland, CA 94604

Phone (510)834-4263
=46ax - (510) 834-4264

email: saiic@igc.apc.org