Reports from solidarity visit in Brazil

On the first day of the visit, the RLA delegation visited the Head Office of MST in Pará and heard first hand about the situation in Brazil and in Pará. The State of Pará is the second largest Brazilian state and is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. Though this is rapidly changing as the region accounts for more than a third of total deforestation in Brazil due to illegal deforestation and land occupation, mostly due to cattle ranching and soya farming.
Later that day, the delegation also visited historically important MST camps, and were impressed by how vibrant and productive these settlements are.

Full report of the first day by Angie Zelter (Trident Ploughshares, RLA 2001).

On the second day, the delegation met at the University of Pará for a press conference. Leaders of MST andCPT outlined the situation in Pará, the threats and killings that had taken place, and highlighted the case of the murders of José and Maria Cláudio in 2011.
In the afternoon around 300 people gathered in the lecture room to share very powerful and moving testimonies and speeches. “Not one minute of silence for those killed. But a whole lifetime of struggle.” was heard throughout the day.

While the debate took place, participants received the tragic news that MST leader Fábio dos Santos Silva was brutally executed in Bahia state, with 15 bullets being fired at him. This killing further serves to underline the extremely high risk human rights defenders and activists face in Brazil.

Full report of the second day by Angie Zelter.

More information and photos.