Page 21 - Respond 2018 Magazine

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The victims
Sebastião de Souza, 57
Pastor of the Assembly of God Church in Guatá,
about 140 km north of Taquarussu. He was one of the
squatters of the area subject of dispute, known as Linha
(road) 15. Previously in 2014, his home at the site was
burned down. He was found with a machete buried in
the back of his neck.

Fábio dos Santos, 37
A father of four and member of de Souza’s congregation,
House of farmer-squatter and evangelical pastor Sebastião de Souza dos Santos worked mainly as a bricklayer. Pastor de
in Taquarussu do Norte, Brazil; his body was found on the floor with a Souza hired him to clear the land – the day rate for
machete in the neck (Photo: Fabiano Maisonnave) labourers is about $17 in the region. He lived in Guatá
and had no land.
“Land regularization in the Amazon is an essential
requirement for conflict reduction, curtailment of Ezequias de Oliveira, 26
deforestation and implementation of more sustainable A squatter in Taquarussu, de Oliveira’s lot is outside the
policies in the region,” says an Imazon report published last disputed area. He was onsite working as a day labourer
month. and also belonged to the Assembly of God.

Under Brazilian law, 80% of any rural property in the Edison Antunes, 32
Amazon must be preserved as primary vegetation. Prior Another squatter who was working in Linha 15 as a day
authorisation from federal or state environment agencies is labourer. He was the deacon of the local Assembly of God
needed to cut any forest. In practice, squatters flout these and left four children.
rules with impunity.
Aldo Carlini, 50
Cláudio Gonzaga, a prosecutor in Cotriguaçu, an Amazon Also working as a day labourer, Carlini had a lot in a
town not far from Colniza, said politicians and local neighbouring area.
merchants were typically the ones to lead and finance land-
grabbing of these areas, taking advantage of the infamously Samuel da Cunha, 23
slow Brazilian judicial system and feeble law enforcement. A newcomer from the neighbouring state of Rondônia,
da Cunha was also working as a day laborer when he was
The invasion process, described by Gonzaga, includes a killed. His lot was outside the disputed area.
topographical survey for land division, illegal logging in
order to finance the whole process and eventually the Valmir do Nascimento, 55
use of cleared land for crops or ranching. By the time the Found with his hands tied behind his back, do Nascimento
authorities catch up, tens or hundreds of acres of forest may was one of the three squatters killed who had a lot in the
have been destroyed. area under dispute. He left two sons.

Besides feeding violent conflict, the legal uncertainty is Izaul dos Santos, 50
a major impediment in fighting deforestation, according A squatter in Linha 15, last year dos Santos paid $34,000
to Evandro Selva, the regional head of Ibama, Brazil’s for 200 hectares. He was pending trial for murder. His
environmental protection agency. son and daughter-in-law were two of the four people who
were in the area during the slaughter and escaped with
“In most cases, our effectiveness depends on land regulation their lives.
agencies,” said Selva, who led a raid on Taquarussu in 2015,
in a phone interview. One of the squatters who died in the Francisco da Silva, 56
slaughter was fined for deforesting 22 hectares. One of the five squatters who were there as day
labourers. In 2015, Ibama (the environmental protection
“During the inspection, the farmer-squatters argued: ‘How agency) fined da Silva $36,000 for the illegal deforestation
can we get a deforestation authorisation if we don’t have the of 22 hectares, but he never paid it.
land titles?’”

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