Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 12 March 2019
At hearing, Amazon tribe accuses Brazil army of atrocities

By MAURICIO SAVARESE tion workers, government
Associated Press liaisons with indigenous
WAIMIRI-ATROARI RESERVE, groups and members of re-
Brazil (AP) — First the heli- ligious missions, were killed
copters arrived, dropping during the construction of
chemical bombs. Then the road.
came armed men in green Compared to South Ameri-
uniforms who proceeded can countries like Chile and
to slaughter members of an Argentina, Brazil has done
Amazon tribe to make way little to uncover atrocities
for a major road. at the hands of the military,
Bare Bornaldo Waimiri, at particularly against indig-
the time a teenage mem- enous peoples.
ber of the Waimiri-Atroari The allegations of the Wai-
tribe deep in Brazil's Ama- miri-Atroari pose a chal-
zon, said the day of that at- lenge to Brazil's armed forc-
tack, many years ago, was es, who say their regime
the last he saw his family only cracked down on ad-
alive. versaries that pushed for a
Now elderly, Bornaldo de- socialist revolution.
scribed the horrific scene Slender and low-voiced
last week during a historic Waimiri-Atroari elders attend a hearing about alleged crimes committed by the Brazilian dicta- Dawuna Elzo Atroari said
hearing that put a spotlight torship in the 1970s inside a traditional "maloca" indigenous hut on the Waimiri-Atroari reserve in he witnessed a blitzkrieg
on Brazil's military, which de- Brazil's Amazon state. style attack against the
nies attacking the tribe. His Associated Press tribe in a different incident
testimony underscored the than the one Bornaldo de-
constant tension between lands to hear witnesses tell such person he declined and Boa Vista, according scribed.
development and conser- of several alleged attacks to. to prosecutors and tribes- "Before this road we lived
vation in Latin America's over the years. Leaders Before ruling, federal judge men testifying. well and in peace, we
largest nation and comes said their aim was to deal Raffaela Cassia de Sousa All six tribe members testi- were healthy," he said, his
as far-right President Jair with the past and avoid fu- was expected to wait for fying said the aggressions hands shaking. "After the
Bolsonaro gives a promi- ture incursions. forensics, which could in- came from the Brazilian road, people died and we
nent role to the military in "To turn this page, we all clude a determination of army while it oversaw the were threatened."
his government and ends have to read the book," what chemical may have construction of 75 miles "I had a gun pointed to my
new indigenous land de- tribal leader Mario Parwe been used in the bombings (120 kilometers) across the ear," he recounted.
marcations in the Amazon. Atroari said. witnesses described, and Waimiri-Atroari reserve. Wildlife is abundant in the
"I lost my father, my mother, Most indigenous tribes that possibly more testimony At the time, military leaders region, with sloths, monkeys
my sister and my brother," allege atrocities during and pieces of evidence. said the tribe was imped- and jaguars frequently ap-
Bornaldo said in a very low the dictatorship are reluc- There is no final date for a ing government employ- pearing. Bayous filled with
voice, wearing shorts and tant to give a full account- decision. ees from building the road. fly-attracting pink flowers
tapping his flip-flops on the ing of incidents in urban Federal prosecutors, who However, the military has can be seen from the road.
ground as two translators courthouses because they accuse the Brazilian state never acknowledged a Not far from it, the trees be-
put his words into Portu- don't trust non-indigenous of genocide in their civil suit, role in attacking the tribe. come leafier and taller.
guese. peoples. Some also fear said hundreds, if not thou- "Documents of that time The Waimiri-Atroari close
The hearing took place in being prosecuted for their sands, of tribe members show the military dicta- off the road with a massive
a thatched, cone-shaped own attacks against state died between 1968 and torship considered the in- chain each day at 6 p.m.
hut where the Waimiri- agents and missionaries. 1977, when highway BR-174 digenous a hurdle to de- so as to protect wildlife and
Atroari normally hold col- While tribesmen nodded was built. The deaths ei- velopment and that their the tribe itself. It only re-
orful festivities and long during Bornaldo's testimo- ther happened by military presence in areas of gov- opens at 6 a.m.
storytelling sessions. For ny, a half-dozen military strikes or because of dis- ernment interest could not The testimony of the elders,
one day last week, it trans- personnel in uniform stood eases that came after the stop construction works," all youngsters during the
formed into a gloomy in silence. Retired Col. Hi- forceful construction of the said journalist Rubens Va- construction of the road,
courthouse where six el- ram Reis e Silva, dressed in road through the reserve, lente, who attended the are key in the suit demand-
ders told a judge how over a white-collared shirt and prosecutors said. hearing and is the author of ing the state pay the tribe
many years the 1964-1985 jeans, shook his head as The witnesses said they a book on the relationship $13 million in damages, is-
military dictatorship tried to the witnesses spoke. Reis e don't know the dates of the between Brazil's authoritar- sue an official apology in
eradicate them with arms, Silva, who said he worked alleged attacks. The Wai- ian regime and indigenous a ceremony on Waimiri-
bombs and chemicals. near the reserve after 1982, miri-Atroari do not measure tribes. Atroari land, build a muse-
The Associated Press and was at the hearing to rep- time in months and years, During last week's hearing, um to remember the atroc-
one local newspaper were resent the military. and instead talk of events the government's lawyers ities and mention human
the only media allowed to "My version of the story is in relation to their phase in suggested in their questions rights violations against
attend the hearing. Non- very different," Reis e Silva life. that miners or local crimi- them in public school
tribal members in general told the AP. "There are some Prosecutors said they be- nals were behind the at- books.
are usually forbidden to exaggerations. We hope lieve that the attack Bor- tacks, assertions that tribal In 2014, a Brazilian truth
enter the sprawling reserve truth is re-established." naldo witnessed took place members rejected. commission said more than
that is the size of Israel and "I also have several witness- after 1974, the year the ag- In explaining their own use 8,000 members of indig-
straddles the states of Am- es who are the pioneers of gressions intensified. The of violence, Waimiri-Atroari enous tribes could have
azonas and Roraima. the highway and counter massacre he saw was one said they were just defend- been killed at the hands of
Tribe members and pros- everything (the tribe mem- of numerous attacks during ing their territory. According authoritarian regimes be-
ecutors said it marked the bers say)," Reis e Silva add- the construction of a por- to Valente's book, which tween 1946 and 1988, the
first time a judge was al- ed, though when asked to tion of the road that con- prosecutors cite, at least 26 vast majority during the
lowed on Waimiri-Atroari share contacts with any nects the cities of Manaus people, including construc- 1964-1985 dictatorship.q