Brazil: Indigenous leaders ask Rousseff to demarcate their people's lands
Indigenous leaders from all regions of the country made on Tuesday (May 10) an appeal to President Dilma Rousseff to sign 12 decrees for land demarcation
Indigenous leaders from all regions of the country made on Tuesday (May 10) an appeal to President Dilma Rousseff to sign 12 decrees for land demarcation before she is put on trial for the impeachment process to be voted at the Senate on Wednesday (May 11).
In the view of the National Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples, a possible administration of Vice-President Michel Temer would be less favorable to the indigenous cause, because of his political connections with lawmakers linked to agribusiness. Therefore, their leaders hurry to make Rousseff sign the land demarcation decrees.
"These processes are there ready to be signed, without any obstruction," said Sandra Guajajara, coordinator of the National Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples. "At this moment in which the Brazilian society is concerned about setbacks, the indigenous peoples make an appeal to the president of the Republic and the justice minister to perform their duty, to act according to the constitution and several international treaties ratified by Brazil, and immediately sign all these normative acts. There's still time."
About 1,000 indigenous people are mobilized in Brasília to attend the Free Land Camp, which is held every year, but in 2016, it happens simultaneously with the current political crisis. They are devoting their efforts to pressure the government to sign the decrees.
According to the Articulation, there are still 180 indigenous lands waiting to be demarcated in Brazil, and there are other 357 lands that are claimed and have not been put into any action by the government. "Although it [demarcation] has sped up recently, we still have a very large number of liability," added Sandra Guajajara.
Earlier this month, the president issued two decrees to demarcate indigenous lands, the Piaçaguera indigenous reserve, located in Peruíbe city, in São Paulo state, and Pequizal do Naruvôtu indigenous land, located in Canarana and Gaúcha do Norte, in Mato Grosso state. A third land, the Cachoeira Seca indigenous land, was approved in April. Despite these recent actions, Rousseff's government is criticized by the indigenous leaders for its lack of action regarding the demarcation of indigenous lands in her two terms of office.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta
Fonte: Brazil: Indigenous leaders ask Rousseff to demarcate their people's lands
