Dominga didn’t hesitate in pointing out that the violent events that took place on June 15th were promoted by the forces aiming to oust Fernando Lugo from office. And she pointed out that in the past eight years, six evictions of different landless groups took place at the land known as “Marina Cué”: two thousand hectares belonging to the state that were however claimed as private property by businessman and landowner Blas Riquelme (who died on September 2nd).

Dominga points out that while at the beginning the operation was called a “raid”, this became a violent eviction, resulting in the death of 17 people, eleven of them members of the 54 families involved in the occupation of lands. In the interview with Real World Radio, the activist, who is a naturopath, described the response to the police repression, the rescuing of injured people and the bodies of the people who died during the attack. “I feel and think that good health comes from the earth. Good food and consumption practices are part of the health of a family”, she said.

This is why she is close to the struggle for land which in the case of Canindeyu has claimed and recovered over one hundred thousand hectares, said Dominga during the first day of the mission.

There were people arrested for trying to help the injured people who are still in prison, access was denied to health care workers who were trying to treat those who were most badly injured, said Dominga. She then added that eleven people rescued from the massacre site between Friday 15th and Saturday 16th June managed to survive, despite being seriously injured.

Photo: J. Elosegui / RWR