Brazil: Bahia's Elite Preventing Indians from Getting Land

[Judi Lynn]

Brazil: Bahia's Elite Preventing Indians from Getting Land
Written by Newsroom
Saturday, 15 August 2009

The torture case of five Brazilian Tupinambá Indians in the state of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil, must be investigated by a commissioner of the Polícia Federal (PF) who is not part of or linked to the Federal Police in Bahia.

This is the recommendation of the Commissão Nacional de Políticas Indígenas (National Committee on Indigenous Policies) formed by representatives of indigenous organizations and the federal government.

The CNPI discussed the report of the investigation that members of the CNPI drew up in Ilhéus, following the accusation that the five Tupinambá Indians had been tortured by agents of Federal Police during the eviction of a Tupinambá community, June 2, 2008.

~snip~
"While this is going on, in the south of Bahia rapes of little Pataxó girls occur by influential people, indigenous people are run over with vehicles, are murdered and the police do not investigate," he added.

Besides the torture case, the CNPI members also discussed the general safety of the Tupinambá. The Commission of Caciques of the Tupinambá people is in Brazilian capital Brasilia to deal with the security of the people, especially during the demarcation process of their land.

The tension in the region increased strongly following the publication of the land identification report on April 17 of 2009 (the first step in de demarcatory process).

http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/11095/