‘Indigenous people are murdered, and the killers go unpunished,’ say organizations in solidarity with the Guarani Kaiowá

Brasil de Fato

Following the murder of a young Indigenous man on Wednesday morning (18) in the municipality of Antônio João in Mato Grosso do Sul state, organizations published a note in solidarity with the Guarani Kaiowá, expressing their rejection of violence against Indigenous people. Neri Guarani Kaiowa, 22, was shot in the head in a reclaimed area during an action by the Mato Grosso do Sul Military Police.  

The attacks began on Thursday (12) when the Indigenous people reclaimed the Barra farm, which overlaps with the Nhanderu Marangatu Indigenous Land (TI, in Portuguese). The Military Police, who were protecting the property, attacked them. They shot three people, and one was hospitalized. 

In Douradina, around 180 kilometers from Antônio João, the Guarani Kaiowá also face violence as they reclaim their ancestral territory of Panambi Lagoa-Rica.  

“We, the signatories of this note, demand that the authorities of the Brazilian state, government, and judiciary prioritize the protection of Indigenous communities to avoid further bloodshed on this land,” the note stresses. The document questions the actions of the justice system, which “cannot remain silent in an unequal battle where only Indigenous people are murdered, while the perpetrators and masterminds go unpunished.”  

According to the text, the recurring wave of violence and rights violations against the Guarani Kaiowá Indigenous peoples in Mato Grosso do Sul is unacceptable.  

“Since July, ten people have been injured by farmers who claim the area. The communities are constantly being attacked, shot at, run over, the rivers poisoned, and the houses of prayer, which are the cultural and spiritual representations of the peoples, have been burnt down,” the statement said.  

The Barra farm overlaps with Indigenous territory. The land regulation of the TI in question occurred in March 2005, but an injunction by Federal Supreme Court minister Nelson Jobim suspended it shortly afterward. The farm is owned by Roseli Ruiz, whose daughter, Luana Ruiz, is a lawyer and special advisor to the Civil House of the State Government of Mato Grosso do Sul 

Ninety-six collectives and organizations signed the document, including the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT, in Portuguese), the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi, in Portuguese), and other movements fighting for land and human rights.