During a mobilization to expose the environmental impacts of Tucuri dam, built 25 years ago on River Tocantins, 18 activists of MAB were arrested. 14 were later released, while four continue behind bars, accused of kidnapping and trespassing.

The judge of the case, blames the three men and woman of organizing the protests, which included the occupation of the facilities of the hydroelectric dam. The works of Tucuri, Brazil’s largest electricity generator, have displaced 32,000 people from their homes, according to MAB, and it supplies services to big siderurgy and mining corporations.

“We conducted a study in the state and found that the MAB activists are the only political prisoners in Para. What is going on here is a shame for a Parliamentary state”, Daiane Hohn, member of MAB’s national coordination told Radioagencia de Noticias do Planalto.

“Those who fight for their rights do not deserve to be criminalized”, said Para’s MP Jose Nery (PSOL party). Meanwhile, the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) issued a document saying that the Brazilian judiciary ends up treating workers and the less privileged sectors the worse.

To back this theory the CPT recalled that the same Court of Para granted an habeas corpus appeal in less than 48 hours to the banker accused of crimes against land and attempt of bribery, while it fails to grant the minimum guarantees to the four MAB activists.

The CPT refers to another incident, which also took place in Para in April. In a demonstration outside the estate of banker Daniel Dantas, nine activists of the Rural Landless Peasant Movement (MST) were injured, but the security guards who shot at them are still free.

Dantas is one of Brazil’s most powerful businessmen. He has been in jail since last July, when it was proved that he had been responsible of a series of businesses, fraud, money laundry, tax fraud and wiretapping.