Instituto Terramar - Ypioca attempts to intimidate and silence social movements

Professor Jeovah Meireles of the Geography Department of the Federal University of Ceara (UFC) and the journalist Daniel Fonseca have been called by the justice system to respond to questions related to the fact that they divulged information, in the public domain, which was contrary to the business's interests of Ypioca Agroindustria[1]. The company's attitude was a reaction to the repercussion of an article by the German journalist, Nobert Suchanek (entitled "Hypocrisy in Bio-quality" with international repercussions), through a talk given by Jeovah Meireles during the 1st National Seminar on Environmental Racism (Rio de Janeiro, November 2005). The principle question refers to Ypioca's responsibility for environmental injustices and human rights violations of the Jenipapo-Kaninde indigenous people of Aquiraz, Ceara.

The motives for the legal action was the denouncement and disclosure of environmental damage caused by Ypioca to the Lagoa da Encantada[2] and their lack of respect for human rights of the indigenous Jenipapo-Kaninde people, facts already widely known by society, including the Federal Pubic Ministry, IBAMA (Brazilian Environmental Agency), and FUNAI (National Foundation of Indians).

Ypioca's conduct is motivated by the loss of Organic Certification on its cachaça by its certifier, the Biodynamic Institute - IBD (linked to the international certifier Demeter International). The company's response to the loss was the opening of a legal process to censure the journalistic material, and punishment of the journalist. This, despite the fact that the news can be found published in various international websites and in important networks of social movements and defense of human rights entities.

Nevertheless, Ypioca has been destroying the Lagoa da Encantada for more than 20 years, altering the water quality and the ecosystem traditionally used by the indigenous population. The Lagoa is a fundamental ecosystem for this ethnic group, related to its food security, cultural identity, and daily customs. The Jenipapo-Kaninde have traditionally inhabited the region, while the company indiscriminately degrades environmental systems with "permanent preservation" status. The fact of the matter is that this is only one of many conflicts that have occurred between the ethnic group and Ypioca.

In order to produce cachaça, the company also indiscriminately pumps water to irrigate the sugar cane monoculture (raw material for cachaça production); pollutes ground water; and threatens water storage, fisheries, and subsistence agriculture of the communities which live around the Lagoa, all in detriment to the environmental services of fundamental importance to the quality of life of the Janipapo-Kaninde people. The degradation has been caused, overall, by the release of effluents (vinhota) from the industrial process of cachaça production.

In the referred to legal action, the owners of Ypioca never recognize the existence of the ethnic group and affirm that no Indians exist, nor are there any indigenous lands, throughout the whole coastal zone of Ceara, contrary to the federal government's recognition in the Diario Oficial da Uniao nº 159, 18 August 2004, of this ethnic group and the delimiting of its lands.

Ypioca joins other businesses in the search for high profits, assaulting and selling off nature, degrading indigenous territories and traditional cultures, and disrespecting human rights, all within the logic of markets and capital, generally with the support of governments. True examples of this environmentally destructive practice and promoter of damage to society are shrimp farming and the construction of Tourist Resorts and Golf Courses along the coast; the Iguatemi Tower (14 story office building) along the margin of the Coco River, and other mega-developments in mangroves and sand dunes along the Ceara coastline. This occurs at the time that the crises of this model of development deepens globally, putting at risk the life of the planet, as found in the report on global warming by the Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the UN.

Beyond the persecution with censure of journalists and independent researchers, there is a clamping down on free expression and the attempt at intimidation of those who denounce, protest, and act in solidarity with those who resist. In the case of Professor Jeovah Meireles, not only Ypioca is trying to criminalize him, but also the Nova Atlantida Ltda group, which has brought a series of actions against him. This group, which is trying to construct 42 resorts and hotels, 8 golf courses, and 5 marinas on indigenous lands of the Tremembe people of Sao Jose e Buriti, in the city of Itapipoca (130 km to the west of Fortaleza), had their installation license suspended by a civil action of the Federal Public Ministry in Ceara. Just one more case of social damage and environmental racism in an indigenous community.

The history of community struggles and resistance cannot be disrespected. The daily struggle of the Jenipapo-Kaninde has been adopted by a series of environmental entities, professors, students, and other defenders of human rights. We embrace the cause in defense of the environment and of the peoples! We defend freedom of expression, the professional exercise of journalists, and the autonomy and legitimacy of university scientific and technological research.

We are against any type of intimidation, coercion, or impediment to the affirmation and auto-determination of races, genders, and ages (children, youth, and senior citizens). We are in favor of all and any productive activity being always in search of the construction of a humanly diverse, socially equitable society, completely free and environmentally sustainable.

Therefore, in defense of the peoples, we are all Jenipapo-Kaninde and Tremembe of Sao Jose e Buriti! We are all Jeovah Meireles, Nobert Suchanek, and Daniel Fonseca. We all feel called upon by the legal system for questioning; we assume as our own all of the affirmations that have been target of the legal actions and we position ourselves:

§ In repudiation of the destructive and socio-environmentally damaging practices of the Ypioca company and the legal actions solicited by it with the goal of silencing the social movements;

§ For the immediate end of attempts to criminalize and intimidate researchers, journalists, indigenous and community leaders, independents and critics, fighting for human rights and for environmental justice and sustainability;

§ In defense of the preservation of nature, demarcation of all indigenous lands, for free expression, for the reaffirmation of the social function of public universities, and for a new society is possible and necessary!

§ That the Ceara judiciary does not serve private interests and it restricts itself to assuring the exercise of constitutional guarantees and the mechanisms prescribed in international instruments of human and socio-environmental rights, of which Brazil is a part.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Company producing Cachaça (alcoholic beverage derived from sugar cane), paper and cardboard, PET and PVC bottles, bottler of mineral water, ranching, transportation and distribution of merchandise, and marketing. Headquartered in the city of Aquiraz, state of Ceará, Brazil. Exports products to Europe, principally to Germany.

[2] Lagoa da Encantada is a lacustrine (lake) ecosystem within indigenous lands of the Jenipapo-Kanindé people. Located in the municipality of Aquiraz, 50 km to the east of Fortaleza, it is associated with fixed dunes and mangrove ecosystems. There is a canal that links it to the sea and the coastal zone. It is the village's principle ecosystem and base of the people's traditional activities related to subsistence agriculture, fishing, and leisure. The ecosystem is fundamental for the continuity of activities of this indigenous group.