Brazil: ABRAPO – Denunciation Note from August 9: MP of Rondônia acts as a militia of the latifundium and criminalizes the struggle for land

Hereby we publish an unofficial translation of one of the notes of denunciation by the ABRAPO – the Brazilian Association of People’s Lawyers – Gabriel Pimenta, published recently by Resistencia Camponesa.

In first place, the ABRAPO – the Brazilian Association of People’s Lawyers – Gabriel Pimenta sees it as necessary to repeat the former presented denunciations of the serious violations committed by the Military Police of Rondônia. We are informing that the illegal invasions, realized by State’s agents in collusion with goons – a common fact in the region and can be proved by many pictures – haven’t stopped yet.

After our last note, we received new reports by agrarian workers, denouncing other violations, including: violent actions against children, mayor people, including a pregnant woman, who started giving birth as consequence of the police operation. We are highlighting that children, woman, elder people still hide or are lost in the jungle.

We report that there was no information at all, of the motive of the incursions neither there was a jurisdictional order for the operation, keeping in mind that a residents’ house is considered to be a untouchable shelter, according to art. 5º, XI, of the Federal Constitution and according to the STJ, HC 598.051/SP, Rel. Min. Rogério Schietti Cruz, 6ª Turma, DJe 15/03/2021. Far from that, the form this action was realized composes a crime, on the terms of the article 150 of the penal code.

Moreover, the ABRAPO has realized various denunciations against the Military Police of Rondonia, who worked illegally for the benefit of the local big landlords. The denunciations that we received the last period were even more terrible: the MP is giving cover, and working together with goons of the region, these criminals! There is information that in recent actions, persons without uniform – known goons – been acting together with the police.

Investigations of the Federal Police have already discovered private militias in Rondônia, that are composed of policemen who were paid by farmers. These groups been specialized in falsification of jurisdictional actions of expropriation of land and moved more then 400.000 Reals, with the participation of policemen and public servants. Other operation of the PF confirmed that big landlords were giving order to murder landless, in participation of civil police and soldiers. A notorious case is the condemnation of a head of the military police Jonas Augusto dos Santos, to 28 years of prison and loss of uniform,for his participation in the murder of two landless young people, Ruan Hildebran Aguiar and Alysson Henrique Lopes, and the intent of the murder of other three persons in Cujubim, in year 2017. The team that was commanded by his was made of 17 military policemen. This modus operandi shows entirely the connection between the armed security forces of RO paid by private interests, including the PM and illegal activities, including lethal violence against rural workers

Rondônia has been the State with the highest numbers of murdered persons in agrarian conflicts in Brazil, counting eleven of the total 35 victims in Brazil in year 2021, including a massacre during a police operation. In 2024 there were twelve fatal victims in agrarian disputes, a part from six intents of murder.

Impunity is normal. The ABRAPO and various other entities, like the CPT – Pastoral Commission of Land, are denouncing the lack of investigations and imprisonment of the responsible of these diverse murders.

Several cases of murders of peasants were federalized in 2023 by the STJ because it was proven the Civil Police’s inaction, as stated in the decision of Minister Messod Azulay Net. The State’s organs don’t show conditions for the realization the investigations, be it because of ignorance, because of orders given or because it is simply impossible. The incapability of the local authorities to give a effective answer to the needed demands is obvious, as the attestation of the Public Ministry of the Rondonian State itself has declared.

Not that refers to the intent of classify the League of the Poor Peasants (LCP) as a “criminal group”, is is an absurd accusation and lacks of any proves. There aren’t any elements that show a movement in struggle for land as a criminal organization. The self-protection of the workers is legitimate and legal, and its classification as a criminal organization is just proving that the State of Rondônia is treating the peasants and workers of the land as prior enemies.

We understand that such accusation merely serves as a pretext to justify towards their followers, a policy of extermination against all who do not accept to be exploited by big landlords and land-robbers.

In synthesis the ABRAPO considers:

The actions of the Military Police of Rondônia as illegal;

The accusations against the peasants movement as lies and used as a justification of families;

That it is urgent that the civil society unites in a denounce and mobilization in order to stop the actions and hinder that the State of Rondônia repeats the tragedies as the one of Santa Elina.

ABRAPO – Brazilian Association of People’s Lawyers – Gabriel Pimenta