Amnesty Commission grants unprecedented collective reparation to Krenak indigenous people and Brazil apologizes for crimes committed during the dictatorship
The committee, in its first evaluation, made the amnesty official and issued a formal apology from the Brazilian State to the Krenak indigenous people, residing in the north of Minas Gerais. Furthermore, this Tuesday, a similar request from the Guyraroká indigenous people, who live in a territory in Mato Grosso do Sul, will be examined.
The Krenak indigenous people suffered persecution, torture and death during the dictatorial period - Photo Reproduction/Walter Garbe
The Brazilian Amnesty Commission examined this Tuesday (02) the first requests for collective reparation in the country’s history. In the first analysis, the collegiate officialized the granting of amnesty and a formal apology from the Brazilian State to the indigenous people of the Krenak ethnic group, located in the north of Minas Gerais. Furthermore, this Tuesday, the procedures to consider a similar request from the Guyraroká indigenous people, who reside in an area in Mato Grosso do Sul, are also on the agenda.
This measure represents a recognition of the crimes perpetrated during the military regime. On that occasion, members of these two ethnic groups were persecuted and forced to abandon their lands. To date, they had not received any type of compensation or compensation, as only individual requests were considered by the Amnesty Commission.
Context
During the Brazilian military regime (1964-1985), the indigenous people of the Krenak and Guyraroká ethnicities faced severe oppressive policies. Both indigenous peoples were targets of forced displacement, arrests, torture and ill-treatment. The committee estimates that at least 8,000 indigenous people were fatal victims of the measures adopted during the Brazilian military dictatorship. To date, no type of reparation has been provided to indigenous communities for the damage suffered during this authoritarian period.
The Krenak were particularly affected, suffering forced displacement, violence, and disrespect for their territorial and cultural rights. Amid economic interests from the state government and farmers, they were forced to move to the Guarani farm, in Carmésia, MG. After eight years, in 1980, they decided to return to their lands on a 95-day journey on foot. Some chose to settle in the Vanuíre Indigenous Post, in Arco-Íris and Tupã, SP, or in other areas such as Colatina, ES, and Conselheiro Pena, MG.
The Krenaks returned to a 120-hectare area on the left bank of the Doce River, after originally occupying a much larger area in 1920. Conflicts arose with local farmers over property titles granted by the Minas Gerais government to tenants. Funai sought to recover the remainder of the indigenous land by filing a lawsuit in 1989, which was resolved in favor of the Krenak in 1995. However, official ownership of the lands was only recognized in 1997, establishing the Krenak Indigenous Land in Resplendor, MG.
The Guarani and Kaiowá from the Guyraroká indigenous community, in Caarapó, were forced to leave their ancestral lands during the dictatorship, due to internal colonialism and agropastoral expansion. The inaction of the state and local farmers helped to expel them, aiming to promote agrogenocidal enterprises. From 2004 onwards, they began to claim their lands. The lack of access to traditional territory and extreme poverty resulted in a significant increase in suicide rates in the community.
In 2014, the decision of the 2nd Panel of the STF accepted an appeal from a farmer and annulled the land demarcation process based on the "time frame" thesis. The MPF highlighted that the indigenous people's main economic activity is agriculture, and when they were removed from their lands, they were deprived of all their sources of livelihood.
Apology from Brazil
During the administration of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in 2022, the same requests were refused by the Amnesty Commission, made up of members appointed by the Executive. However, the following year, under the government of Lula (PT), the petitions were reconsidered by the commission. The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) has been defending reparations for the Krenak people since 2015. Collective reparation claims are new, having been incorporated into the commission’s regulations only in 2023.
Such requests do not imply financial compensation. However, for indigenous peoples, for example, they can represent a step forward in safeguarding their rights, with document corrections, inclusion in the Unified Health System (SUS) or progress in the land demarcation process. At the end of the analysis of the Krenak case, the president of the Amnesty Commission, Eneá de Stutz, knelt down and apologized to the indigenous people on behalf of the Brazilian State.
Case of the 9 Chinese
In the coming days, the Amnesty Commission will also be evaluating the review of what became known as the "Case of the 9 Chinese". This incident dates back to 1964, when nine Chinese diplomats were detained, subjected to torture, sentenced to prison and subsequently expelled from Brazil based on a false accusation of "subversion". It was alleged that they had conspired against the newly installed military dictatorship, although this accusation was never proven. Only in 2014, after the efforts of the National Truth Commission (CNV), did the Brazilian government officially revoke the group's expulsion. For almost fifty years, they were prevented from returning to Brazil.
