MPF files lawsuit for security of indigenous community in Paraty

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) in Rio de Janeiro filed a public civil action to ensure the right to security in the community of the Tekoha Jevy Indigenous Land, known as Aldeia Rio Pequeno, in Paraty, on the south coast of Rio de Janeiro. The action asks the state of Rio de Janeiro and the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) to take measures to end the escalation of violence in the region. Last Monday (23), an unidentified man invaded the community and threatened the indigenous people, shouting: “I’m going to kill an indigenous person, I’m really going to kill them”. The case was registered at the 167th Police Station in Paraty. Monday’s episode adds to other cases of violence against the people of Aldeia Rio Pequeno that have occurred in recent years. In January 2018, a triple homicide crime took place in the region, in which one of the victims was the Guarani indigenous João Mendonça Martins. According to the indigenous people, the crime was related to the land demarcation process. There were also threats to the local Indians. In the action, the MPF requests that the state of Rio de Janeiro empower and train the security forces in Angra dos Reis and Paraty to deal with specific issues related to the Guarani people, such as traditions, customs and rights. Funai, on the other hand, must, together with the Union and the state, develop cooperation protocols and communication mechanisms to clearly establish the respective responsibilities and coordinate in order to avoid conflicts of attributions in relation to the safety of the members of the Tekoha Jevy Indigenous Land. Funai must also create consultative councils and contribute to the formation of community security teams that must necessarily involve the participation of the Guarani people of the village of Rio Pequeno in the decision-making process. The Union and the state of Rio de Janeiro must, in turn, create mechanisms for monitoring and continuous evaluation of the performance of the security forces in the Tekoha Jevy Indigenous Land, in order to identify problems and take measures to correct them, as well as create centers specializing in indigenous affairs at the Federal Police Station in Angra dos Reis and at the Military Police Battalion in Angra dos Reis and at the 2nd Independent Company of Military Police in Paraty. “Violence in Aldeia do Rio Pequeno is a complex problem, which has multiple causes, including lack of demarcation and protection of their lands; lack of dialogue and cooperation; intolerance of the culture, traditions and rights of its members, as well as insufficient investment in infrastructure in the community, including health, education and social assistance. For this very reason, police action in the village of Rio Pequeno is extremely important to guarantee the safety and protection of the rights of its members, as well as to maintain public order and legality in the aforementioned indigenous territory”, says the Federal Public Prosecutor. Aldo de Campos Costa, plaintiff. Demarcation In August 2020, the MPF filed a public civil action, with a request for an injunction, so that the Brazilian State was declared in default on the demarcation of the Tekohá Jevy Indigenous Land, in Paraty, so that, with that, Funai could be determined the immediate continuation of the demarcation process. The studies of the indigenous land, approved in April 2017, recognized the permanent occupation of the Tekohá Jevy Indigenous Land, by the Guarani Mbyá and Nandéva indigenous peoples, with an approximate surface of 2,370 hectares and an approximate perimeter of 27 kilometers in the municipality of Paraty. However, so far, the Ministry of Justice has not issued a declaratory ordinance and the consequent continuation of the procedure. The Tekoha Jevy Indigenous Land, where 32 Guarani Ñandeva indigenous people live, is also known as the Guarani Land of Rio Pequeno. According to the identification study, the land is traditionally occupied by Guarani Mbya and Guarani Ñandeva families, two groups of the Guarani people, through wedding rings. attacks, which led to the expulsion of the Guarani Mbya families who lived there and the confinement of the Guarani Ñandeva. In the Guarani language, tekoha jevy means “The land that is back”.

Agência Brasil