Brasília, May 28, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - Interruptions in the process of demarcating Indian territories are the major cause of violence practiced against Indians in Brazil, accoridng to a report released on Thursday (27) by Amnesty International, which reports 23 assassinations resulting from land disputes in 2003. The National Indian Foundation (Funai) and the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi) agree with the diagnosis but not with the number of Indians killed.

The Funai's press office informed that the figures presented in the Amnesty International report are fallacious. The Foundation acknowledges only five murders caused by land disputes and says that the Amnesty report lacks reliable sources.

The Cimi is one of the organizations responsible for the data included in the Amnesty report. The vice-president of the Commission, Saulo Feitosa, questioned the Funai's argument and disclosed that the number provided by the Cimi to Amnesty is larger: 31 deaths as a result of land disputes in 2003. "We back the number in the Amnesty report, because, of the 31 we denounced, some are still missing and cannot be classified as dead," he said.

Translator: David Silberstein