Fellow and Sister Bank Reformers and Human Rights Advocates:
U.S. Reps. Nydia M. Velasquez (D-NY), Tom Lantos (D-CA) and John
Porter (R-IL) are circulating a "Dear Colleague" cover letter
with headline
Protect property rights of Indigenous People in Brazil
Urging representatives to sign a letter to World Bank President
Wolfenson (cc: Nelson Jobim, Minister of Justice, Brazil &
Paulo Tarso Plecha de Lima, Brazil ambassador to the U.S.).
I have fax copies of the cover letter and main letter. The
action is to urge your Rep to cosign the letter. The contact
names are at the end of the cover letter, reproduced below.
If you're not in the U.S., and you'd like to see the letter
circulate in your country's legislature, send me your fax number
and I'll forward both pages to you. This is particularly
relevant for our European members, because the main letter
refers to a resolution disapproving of Brazil's behavior, passed
by the European Parliament.
I could fax it to U.S. people also.
Joel Rubinstein
Bay Area Fifty Years Is Enough Coalition
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Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington DC 20515
Protect property rights of Indigenous People in Brazil
Dear Colleague:
Please join us in expressing our deep concern over
infringement of the human and property rights of the indigenous
communities in Brazil by signing a letter to the President of
the World Bank. The Brazilian Government recently passed Decree
1775/96, which changes the procedure for demarcating indigenous
lands, including World Bank project sites. The decree encourages
outsiders to make claims on indigenous lands, even those already
officially demarcated. This can only mean violent encroachments
on indigenous lands and serious human rights violations.
The Decree has several adverse affects. It violates the
economic and cultural dependence on the environment that the
indigenous community has. It encourages exploitation of the rich
natural resources, such as Mahogany trees, for the commercial
advantage of outsiders. And, it puts several World Bank projcts,
such as the G7 Pilot Program to Conserve the Rain Forest, and
the Natural Resources Management Projects in Rondonia and in
Mata Grosso, at serious risk.
We urge the World Bank, as an important source of financial
aid to Brazil, to insist that the Brazilian Government comply
with the original loan agreements and honor the demarcation of
indigenous lands as established in the Constitution of 1988. We
must ensure that our taxpayer dollars are spent in the promotion
of human rights and environmental protection, not violence.
Ital> If you would like to co-sign this letter or if you have
any questions, please call Catherine Cruz Wojtasik (Rep.
Velasquez) at x5-2361, Hans Hogrefe (Rep. Lantos) at x5-3531, or
Laura Glickson (Rep. Porter) at x5-4835. <Ital
Sincerely,
Nydia M. Velasquez Tom Lantos John Edward Porter
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress