“Operation Peace” sows terror in north Brazil countryside

The Brazilian state, military and local government have launched massive operations against the peasants in the state of Pará in northern Brazil, resulting in grave violations of human rights.

The military operation called “Operation Peace in the Countryside” was ordered by the governor of Pará state, Ana Julia Carepa, to hunt down peasants who are courageously fighting for their rights to own the land and against the abuses of the landlords. The military used 400 military and olice troops, 40 armored vehicles, four helicopters and one plane. The massive show of force was to intimidate and harass the peasant population to give up their struggle and to force them to give information about the activities and plans of the League of Poor Peasants (LCP) or Liga, a social movement fighting for peasant land rights.

More than 200 peasants were arrested and imprisoned. They were subjected to severe torture such as constant beatings, drowning and suffocation. The victims were also forced to swallow large quantities of fresh pepper with salt and onion which damaged their internal organs. Although a number of peasants were freed last 03 January, many peasants and their leaders are still missing. Their families and comrades have no information of their whereabouts and they continue to look for them.

A peasant leader from Redencao by the name of Rivaldo was killed. He was shot twice in the head. It is reported that the owner of the Forkilha Farm, Jairo Andrade ordered the killing of Rivaldo.

A series of articles were nationally distributed before the attacks, slandering and demonizing peasant activists and leaders and calling for harsh measures against the Liga.

Brazil is afire with the struggle of the peasantry for land rights. Peasants are evicted from their land to give way to big agricultural corporations. The state and local officials are in cahoots with the landlords in enforcing the eviction and criminalization of peasants.

But the peasants, their families and supporters are not intimidated by the military operations launched against them by the state, the landlords and the officials of the local governments. They know that for them to finally own the land that they and their ancestors have tilled for so long, they would have to continue organizing and preparing themselves for bigger struggles ahead.