APA..Newsletter # 3
International News..Amerindians Block Roads in Roraima to Protest Mining and Lack of Progress on Land Rights and Win an Important Court Proceeding (CMR: Boa Vista, 02/24/00)

Road Block

On February 9th, 2000, the Indians in in the Raposa-Serra do Sol Area, located in the Northern part of the state of Roraima (Brazil) started a roadblock to deny access to their region to anyone carrying mining equipment, fuel and alcoholic beverages. The roadblock is going on peacefully without major problems and so far no acts of violence have been reported.
Those carrying out the exercise stop every car and truck and talk to the drivers explaining why they have adopted this policy. They carefully inspect the vehicles searching for forbidden mining equipment and alcoholic beverages.

This roadblock by the Indians has been strongly criticised by the Brazilian mayor of Uiramutan, a village in the northernmost municipality of Roraima. Talking to a local newspaper, he described it as an "illegal action and an usurpation". The local lawyer of FUNAI's (Brazilian Agency for the Welfare of the Indians) replied to the mayor stating that this is an Indian right of self-defense like the workers' right to strike.

A Battle Won.
A few days ago the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in Brasilia refused to accept the request by a rice grower --who is illegally residing inside the Raposa-Serra do Sol- to stop the process of recognizing/ ratifying the demarcation of Raposa Serra do Sol. With support from Sao Paolo lawyers and a Wapisiana lawyer from Raposa, the Indians successfully stopped this latest challenge to the full recognition of their land rights.