Paiakan Framed
Paiakan is a leader of the Kaiapo Indians of the Brazilian rain forest. He is known by the environmental community as a rain forest campaigner, and is a recipient of the UN 500 Global Environment Award. His successes include the closing of the Maria Bonita gold mine, which contaminated the areas rivers with mercury. He also led a successful protest, which stopped the construction of a series of dams near Altamira, which would have flooded the lands of many native Indian villages. Paiakan's trip to the World Bank was very instrumental in stopping the funding for these dams.
1992 was an election year in the state of Para, Brazil. State and local government were in favor of gold mining and timber extraction on Kaiapo lands. Paiakan was opposed to further Amazon devastation.
Two days into the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio, the designated keynote speaker of all native people, Paiakan, was falsely accused on trumped up rape charges, placed under house arrest, and therefore unable to attend the UN Summit.1 The charges were brought by state and local candidates of Redencao (the closest town to Paiakan's village).
"Veja," the largest weekly magazine in Brazil features Paiakan on the cover with the rape story. Leticia Ferreira, the alleged rape victim has been telling people that Paiakan did not even rape her, however, she has never been allowed to tell her story in court. After two years of court battle, Paiakan is found innocent under the law of "Lack of Evidence."
Paiakan continues to carry on his valiant work as a leader of his tribe and culture. The "system" and the Brazilian Justice continues their attacks on Paiakan, and in December of 1998, the Supreme Court rules that Paiakan is to lose his rights to be tried as an Indian and is to be tried as an acculturated emancipated man. As a result of this ruling, a warrant is issued for Paiakan's arrest. Paiakan currently finds himself a fugitive of the Brazilian government.
Green Sphere, on behalf of Paiakan, filed a grievance with the OAS against the Brazilian government for violation of Paiakan's human rights. While this is an obvious frame up to some of us, it is urgent to create support for Paiakan.
Amnesty for Paiakan is presently being requested. Please show
your support however you can.