Shirley Prestes
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Porto Alegre – Prosecutors (Ministério Público) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul have brought charges against 37 member of the NGO Via Campesino (which works for land and agrarian reform). The charges stem from an invasion of a planted forest (horto florestal) at the Fazenda Barba Negra, which took place on March 8.

Daniel Soares Indrusiak, the prosecutor who led the investigation says the 37 people are charged with damages (delitos de dano), robbery (furto), taking hostages (cárcere privado), creating an illegal organization (formação de quadrilha) and money laundering (lavagem de dinheiro).

Indrusiak has requested information on the bank accounts of three organizations linked to Via Campesina. They are the Female Rural Workers Association of Southern Brazil (Associação de Mulheres Trabalhadoras Rurais da Região Sul do Brasil) (AMTR/Sul), National Association of Countrywomen (Associação Nacional das Mulheres Camponesas) (ANMC), and the Rio Grand do Sul Association of Female Rural Workers (Associação das Mulheres Trabalhadoras Rurais do Rio Grande do Sul) (MMTR).

Prosecutors say they have information that the groups planned the invasion months ahead of time and took advantage of a busy event (a social forum) in Porto Alegre to cover up their preparations which included the use of various buses.

Translation: Allen Bennett