Killing of Mr. Raimundo dos Santos Rodrigues

URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY

BRA 001 / 0915 / OBS 071

Killing

Brazil

September8, 2015

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme ofthe International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World OrganisationAgainst Torture (OMCT) requests your urgent intervention in the followingsituation in Brazil.

Briefdescription of the information:

TheObservatory has been informed by Justicia Global about the attack against Mr. Raimundodos Santos Rodrigues and his wife, which resulted in the death of theformer. They were both members of the Advisory Council of the BiologicalReserve of Gurupi (Conselho Consultivo da Reserva Biológica do Gurupi –ReBio Gurupi)[1]. Mr.Raimundo dos Santos Rodrigues had been denouncing environmental crimescommitted by landowners and logging industries, such as the illegal logging inPindaré Valley (Vale do Pindaré) in Maranhão, for which he received numerousthreats. Raimundo dos Santos Rodrigues was one of the advisors for the Chico MendesInstitute for Biodiversity Conservation (Instituto Chico Mendes deConservação da Biodiversidade – ICMBio), which works on environmentalcrimes and defends the Amazon biodiversity.

According to the information received, on August 25, 2015, Mr. Raimundodos Santos Rodrigues and his wife were ambushed while returning to their homein Bom Jardim, in the state of Maranhão. Mr. dos Santos Rodrigues was shottwelve times and also attacked with a machete and died as a result of theinjuries he sustained. The widow was also shot and she continues to receivetreatment at the Municipal Hospital of Açailândia in Maranhão.

The attackfollows a series of death threats which Raimundo dos Santos Rodrigues reportedto the National Agrarian Ombudsman (Ouvidoria Nacional Agrária) in November2014. However, no action was taken.

Two othermembers of the Advisory Council of ReBio Gurupihave also been receiving threats from loggers for over a year. The two names areallegedly on a list of members of the Advisory Council who are targets forkilling, which also included Mr. dos Santos Rodrigues.

The killingof Raimundo dos Santos Rodrigues and attempted killing of his wife occurred ina context in which land and environmental rights defenders, in particularindigenous rights defenders, in Brazil are increasingly at risk as a result oftheir human rights work.

According tothe Comissão Pastoral da Terra, in the first semester of 2015, 23 people werekilled in land conflicts; only one of those deaths did not take place in theAmazon region. In Maranhão, during 2014, five human rights defenders werekilled, five suffered attempted killings and 51 were threatened to death. In2015, three other human rights defenders were killed, besides Mr. Dos SantosRodrigues and three suffered attempted killings.

TheObservatory condemns in the strongest terms the murder of Mr. Raimundo dosSantos Rodrigues and attempted killing of his wife, as well as the deaththreats against other members of the Advisory Council of ReBio Gurupi which seem to be related to their humanrights activities. It urges the authorities to adopt measures to ensure theeffective protection of human rights defenders at risk in Brazil, and notablyland rights defenders, and to conduct an immediate,thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into the above-mentionedevents.

Actionsrequested:

Please write to the authorities in Brazil, urging them to:

i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity ofMr. Raimundo dos Santos' widow, of all ReBio Gurupi members and human rightsdefenders in Brazil;

ii. Carryout an immediate, thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into the above-mentionedevents in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before anindependent tribunal, and sanction them as provided by the law;

iii.Conform to the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders,adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998,especially:

- Article 1, which statesthat “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, topromote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights andfundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”;

- Article 12.2, whichprovides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure theprotection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and inassociation with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de factoor de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as aconsequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in thepresent Declaration”.

iv. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamentalfreedoms in accordance with international human rights standards andinternational instruments ratified by Brazil.

Addresses:

· H.E. Ms. Dilma Rousseff, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Paláciodo Planalto, Praça dos Três Poderes, 70150-900, Brasilia DF, Brazil. Mr. Gilberto José SpierVargas, Secretary for Human Rights,Secretariat for Human Rights of the Presidency of the Republic, Setor Comercial Sul - B, Quadra 9, Lote C,Edificio Parque Cidade Corporate, Torre A, 10º andar, Brasília, DistritoFederal, Brasil - CEP: 70308-200. Email: direitoshumanos@sdh.gov.br;snpddh@sdh.gov.br.Twitter: @DHumanosBrasil

· Ms. Izabella Mônica VieiraTeixeira, State Minister of the Environment, Ministry of theEnvironment, Esplanada dos Ministérios - Bloco B, CEP 70068-900 - Brasília/DF,Brazil. FAX: 2028-1756. Email: gm@mma.gov.br Twitter: @mmeioambiente

• H.E. Ms. Regina Maria Cordeiro Dunlop, Ambassador, PermanentMission of Brazil to the United Nations in Geneva, Chemin Louis-Dunant 15(6th Floor), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland. Fax: +41 22 910 07 51, Email: delbrasgen@itamaraty.gov.br
• H.E. Mr. André Mattoso Maia Amado, Ambassador, Embassy of Brazil inBrussels, Avenue Louise, 350 B-1050, 1050Brussels, Belgium. Fax: +32 2 640 81 34, Email: brasbruxelas@beon.be

Pleasealso write to the diplomatic mission or embassy of Brazil in your respectivecountry.

***
Paris-Geneva, September 8, 2015

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal inyour reply.

The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection ofhuman rights defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time ofneed.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:

· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org

· Tel and fax FIDH + 33(0) 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80

· Tel and fax OMCT + 41(0) 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29

[1] ReBio Gurupi is well-known fortheir work to promote the preservation of the Amazon rainforest and the rightsof the members of the Brejinho Rio das Onças II Community (ComunidadeBrejinho Rio das Onças II), who have suffered harassment and intimidationby landowners of the region and logging industries who have been trying to forcethe local communities out of their own lands.