Solidarity with Paraguayan farmers attacked by soja paramilitaries

Oct 28, 2008

Received this urgent request from a PGA comrade working in Paraguay
against the violent invasion by "bio-fuel"and agribusiness soja. Even
just an e-mail campaign can help, especially with the new governement
there.

Obviously, if some places could do more than that...
O. SOLIDARITY ACTION TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST PEASANT COMMUNITIES IN PARAGUAY
Peasant organisations are resisting against the beginning of the GM
soya season all over the country of Paraguay. They demand access to
land, land reform and the stop of the pesticide spraying which
impacts on their communities. Despite the new government, many camps
have been evicted and violence has taken place: 2 leaders have been
murdered and hundreds of peasants have been arrested. Please sign the
letter below to put pressure on the government and put a stop to
violence!

In Paraguay, GM soya monocultures are today the main cause of
deforestation, the destruction and pollution of other ecosystems, of
violence and the eviction of small farmers and indigenous peoples.
Paraguay has nearly 2,6 million hectares of soy plantations for
animal feed exports and, more recently, for agrofuel. A journalist
who visited the country in 2007 described the impact of soya
monocultures as follows: “Rural eastern Paraguay used to be full of
jungle, small farms, schools and wildlife. Now it is a green sea of
soybeans. The families, trees and birds are gone. The schools are
empty. The air is filled with the toxic stench of the pesticides like
paraquat and 2,4-D used to protect the soy crops”
[http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3093].
The remnants of Paraguay's Atlantic Forest and of the Alto Parana
forest, as well as wetlands, grasslands and rivers are being
destroyed and polluted by the expansion of immense RR soya fields.
Deforestation is worsening global warming and also causing severe
regional warming and droughts. It has contributed to the worst fire
season ever recorded in Paraguay last year, and probably to the
severe drought which is currently affecting the south of the country.
More than 100,000 small peasant families have been evicted for soya
plantations and over 100 peasant leaders have been murdered since the
late 1990s in conflicts over access to land. Agro-chemical
(glyphosate, 2,4D, and others) spraying of soya plantations severely
affects the health of people living in soy region, in some cases
leading even to deaths, and also destroys people´s food crops .
Hunger and malnutrition are increasing as less and less land is
available to farmers for growing food. In August this year, a new
government took office and the new president, Fernando Lugo, promised
to support small farmers against pesticide poisoning and soya
expansion. However, the government has given conflicting signals by
also supporting increased soya exports at the same time. Also, the
police and juridical forces have been supporting soya businesses in
suppressing the peasant movement in their fight against pesticide
spraying and the expansion of soy monocultures. This month, at the
start of the new soya planting season, small farmers' organisations
have mobilised to stop pesticide spraying and to protect peasant
agriculture and the environment against further destruction. They
have set up around 130 lawful camps at the margins of soya
“latifundios¨ (large estates). In recent weeks, they have been
increasingly subjected to violence, with two murders of peasant
leaders, unlawful arrests and detentions. Also, various camps have
been violently evicted, with use of increasing numbers of
paramilitaries. Many peasant leaders are receiving death threats.
The civil security guards that former government organised
“Comision Garrote” are the main actors behind this threats
The tendency seems to be that the violence and repression against the
peasant movement will intensify. For many in the movement, this year
is their last chance to stop soya expansion and to protect what
remains of Paraguays' forests and wetlands, sustainable peasant
agriculture, and small farmers and indigenous people’s future.
Please write to the authorities in Paraguay and urge them to fully
support small farmers and their demands for protection from pesticide
spraying, from evictions, environmental destruction and pollution,
for food sovereignty and land reform. For more information, please
contact:

See also:
Video about the 2 evictions in Alto Parana:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYEBsk0jtG4
Video about the camp against the pesticide spraying in Caaguazú
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4xnXaZGjS8
Peasant community in San Pedro against the pesticide spraying
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfLEXvipkJw
Articles about the current situation in Paraguay:
http://www.lasojamata.org/

LETTER (send the Spanish version that is below)
Dear Sir/Madam,
Re: Please protect Paraguay's communities and environment against
soya monocultures
I was very pleased to hear about President's Lugo's stated commitment
to protect small farmers against soya plantations, including against
pesticide spraying and to stop deforestation. However, I am deeply
concerned to hear about the increasing violence against peasant
organisations that are mobilising against pesticide spraying in the
soya monocultures, while arguing for a new agricultural policy that
protects small farmers and food sovereignty as well as the
environment. Two peasant leaders – SindulfoMartínez member of
the organisation MCP and Bienvenido Melgarejo of the organisation
ASAGRAPA have recently been murdered. There are reports of a 'hit
list' with the names of fifty peasant leaders who fear that they
could be murdered next. In the past weeks, the courts and the police
have been involved in the eviction of peasant camps which have been
lawfully set up on the margins of, not on, soya plantations,
resorting to laws which exist to prevent criminal offences. People
have been unlawfully evicted, detained, criminalised and tortured.
With this letter, I want to show my strong support to the main
demands of peasant movements and civil society organisations in
Paraguay: that pesticide spraying of soy monocultures must be banned
and effectively stopped. The lands illegally sold to agribusiness
companies must be returned to the landless Paraguayan peasants. I
urge you to stop the eviction orders and repression against peasant
mobilisation. The two recent murders and all reports of police
violence and torture must be fully investigated and those responsible
must be held to account. The families of those who have been murdered
must receive financial compensation. The government must take
immediate action and investigate the death threats against peasant
leaders. The first step for this is to dissolve the so called
“Citizen Security Commissions”, commonly called “Garrote
Commissions”. These groups are the main actors of the para-police
violence against social organisations in the rural areas.
In front of the urgent situation of poverty and environmental
devastation in Paraguay, the government must initiate a programme to
support peasant farming and food sovereignty, rather than further
sacrificing Paraguay's communities and environment to produce animal
feed and agrofuels for export. Please let me know what your plans are
for addressing this urgent situation, in order to avoid more violence
and human rights violations, including more killings of peasants, and
to protect communities and the environment from soya monocultures.
Thank you,
Yours faithfully,

Asunto: Por favor, proteja a las comunidades paraguayas y al medio
ambiente de los monocultivos de soja Estimada Sra., Estimado Sr.,
Ha sido muy satisfactorio para mí, saber acerca del compromiso del
Presidente Lugo para proteger a los pequeños campesinos en contra de
las plantaciones de soja, así como de las fumigaciones con
pesticidas y la deforestación. Sin embargo, me preocupa seriamente
cuando escucho acerca de la escalada de violencia dirigida hacia las
organizaciones campesinas que se movilizan en contra de las
fumigaciones de pesticidas sobre las poblaciones y a favor de una
nueva política agraria que proteja a los pequeños campesinos, la
soberanía alimentaria y el medio ambiente.
Dos líderes campesinos -SindulfoMartínez de la organización,
Movimiento Campesino Paraguayo- MCP (Vía Campesina-PY) y Bienvenido
Melgarejo de la organización Asociación de Agricultores de Alto
Paraná- ASAGRAPA han sido recientemente asesinados. Hemos tenido
noticias acerca de una “lista negra” con nombres de unos
cincuenta líderes campesinos que temen ser los próximos
asesinados. Jueces y la policía han estado en estas últimas semanas
implicados en el desmantelamiento de campamentos campesinos
establecidos legalmente en las márgenes, y no dentro, de las
plantaciones de soja, amparándose en leyes de prevención del
crimen. Los campesinos han sido ilegalmente expulsados, detenidos,
criminalizados y torturados. Con esta carta quiero demostrar mi
enérgico apoyo a las dos principales demandas de los campesinos y
las organizaciones de la sociedad civil de Paraguay: Las fumigaciones
con agrotóxicos de los monocultivos de soja deben ser prohibidas y
detenidas de manera efectiva. Las tierras vendidas irregularmente a
los agroempresarios deben ser devueltas a los campesinos sintierras
paraguayos. Exijo frenar la actual ola de desalojos y represión a
las movilizaciones campesinas. El desalojo por recursos de amparo
preventivo es una medida jurídica irregular. Los dos recientes
asesinatos y todos los reportes de violencia policial y tortura deben
ser investigados a fondo, y sus responsables deben ser penalizados.
Las familias de los asesinados deben ser compensadas económicamente.
Así también el gobierno debe actuar de forma inmediata y frenar las
amenazas de muerte que penden sobre los dirigentes campesinos. El
primer paso para ello es atender a las demandas de las organizaciones
de desarticulación de las “Comisiones de Seguridad Ciudadana”,
comúnmente denominadas “Comisión garrote”. Estos grupos son los
principales protagonistas de violencia parapolicial contra las
organizaciones sociales en el campo. Frente la urgente situación de
pobreza y devastación ambiental del campo paraguayo, el gobierno
debe iniciar inmediatamente un programa de apoyo a la agricultura
campesina y la soberanía alimentaria. Basta ya del sacrificio de las
comunidades campesinas e indígenas del Paraguay y del medio ambiente
para mantener un modelo agroexportador sojero que sólo produce
alimento para animales y agrocombustibles.

Por favor, deme a conocer sus planes para contener esta urgente
situación y para evitar más violencia y violaciones de derechos
humanos, incluyendo más asesinatos de campesinos en su país, y para
proteger a las comunidades y al medio ambiente de los monocultivos de
la soja. Muchas gracias por adelantado y un atento saludo.
ADDRESSES / DIRECCIONES
1. Presidencia de la República del Paraguay Excelentísimo Don
Fernando Lugo Méndez, Presidente de la República del Paraguay
Palacio de Gobierno El Paraguayo Independiente e/Ayolas y O´leary
Central telefónica 4140000 (RA)
website: www.presidencia.gov.py
e-mail: presidente@presidencia.gov.py
webmaster@presidencia.gov.py
Secretaria General
S. E. Miguel Angel López Perito
Ministro, Secretario General y Jefe del Gabinete Civil de la
Presidencia de la República Tel 4140288, fax 4140310
2. Secretaria del Ambiente (SEAM) S. E. José Luís Casaccia ,
Ministro, Secretario Ejecutivo
Avda. Madan Lynch 3500 y Reservista de la Guerra del Chaco. Tel + 595
21 615803/4, fax + 595 21 615807 casaccia jcasaccia@hotmail.com
3. SENAVE, Servicio Nacional de Calidad y Sanidad Vegetal y de
Semillas Ing. Agr. Luis Llano Imas , presidente Oficina central del
SENAVE: Edif. PLANETA I. Humaitá Nº 145 c/ Ntra. Sra. de la
Asunción. Telefax: + 595 21 445 769 /+ 595 21 441 549, Asunción -
Paraguay presidencia@senave.gov.py
secretaria_general@senave.gov.py
S. E. Rafael Filizzola, Ministro
Chile y Manduvirá
Tel + 595 21 493 661, fax: + 595 21 450.027
ministro@mdi.gov.py
vmseguridad@mdi.gov.py
sgeneral@mdi.gov.py
5. Ministerio de Justicia y Trabajo S. E. Blas Llano, Ministro
Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Estados Unidos
Tel + 595 21 447010, + 595 21 493209, fax + 595 21 208469
mjt@mjt.gov.py
6. Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia
S. E. Candido Vera Bejarano, Ministro Presidente Franco 479
Tel + 595 21 441036, central + 595 21 451316/ 447304
Viceministerio de Agricultura: vagricultura@mag.gov.py
Secretaría General: secretariagral@mag.gov.py
7. Fiscalía Gral. del Estado
Dr. Rubén Candia Amarilla
fiscaliageneral@ministeriopublico.gov.py