2/10/2024 – In 1997, Manuel Luiz da Silva, a rural farmer and member of Brazil’s landless worker’s movement (MST), was tragically murdered. He was an outspoken advocate for land rights and his case was linked to other murders and enforced disappearances related to the activities of militia-like groups in the Northeast region of Brazil, which have close ties to landowners and local political authorities. To this day, Manuel’s murderers have not been brought to justice, in part because the Brazilian State has failed to comply with its duty to properly investigate violence against landless workers.
The case of Manuel’s murder, unfortunately, is not an isolated incident. In November last year, in the Northeast region alone, three other landless rural workers were murdered.
Our friends at Justiça Global are bringing Manuel’s case to the Inter-American Court in Costa Rica for a trial that will proceed this month—charging the Brazilian state with a failure to investigate and uphold justice. This case has the potential to lead to international condemnation of Brazil and pressure to protect human rights defenders!
Justiça Global was founded in 1999 by a group of researchers, lawyers, and human rights defenders. Since its foundation, their work has focused on promoting human rights by using litigation at organizations such as the Inter-American Human Rights System and the United Nations. Follow Justiça Global’s Facebook for updates on the trial at the hashtag #JustiçaParaAlmirEManoel:
https://www.facebook.com/justicaglobal
Learn more about our support of Justiça Global here.
