On November 5th, 2015, Brazilians have been victims of the worst environmental crime in the country’s history with the collapse of the mining dam operated by Vale/Samarco/BHP. The millions of cubic meters of contaminated mud that overflowed the Doce riverbed have caused incalculable impact in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Bahia.
On March 2016, the companies drew up an agreement with the federal government, the state governments of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, and public agencies (IBAMA, ICMBio, ANA, FUNAI, DNPM) to redress, mitigate and compensate for losses resulting from the collapse. The agreement was drawn, though, failing to allow the participation of the affected people, who are the first to be compensated. The companies and the government thus show their disregard for the affected, seeing them as objects, not as subjects of rights. Federal and state Public Prosecutor Offices have refused to ratify the agreement due to several irregularities.
District Attorney Edmundo Antonio Dias Netto Junior considers the agreement a type of consortium among the companies Vale, Samarco and BHP.
Ratifying the agreement worsens the conflicts, ignores the need for full damage compensation and increases the suffering of the fishermen, small farmers, indigenous people and other long time inhabitants of the area due to the loss of their livelihoods and way of living, as well as ignoring the impact on the environment. It was done two days after Vale and BHP shares dropped with the news of the public civil action by the Public Ministry, with reparations estimated in R$ 155 billion (US$ 43,8 billion).
Unfortunately, disregarding all illegalities identified by the D.A. and the organized civil society, federal judge Maria do Carmo Cardoso of the Federal Court of the First Region, ratified the agreement yesterday (May 5th, 2016), exactly six months after the disaster.
We denounce that the companies and the governments involved – federal and from the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo – made use of a legal ruse to settle the agreement, since it was done by an interlocutory appeal judged in a regional court without jurisdiction for the case, when decision should be made by the Court of Belo Horizonte. The agreement is therefore illegal not only for not contemplating the affected people but due to procedural irregularities.
We firmly reject the agreement and demand a solution arrived at with the full participation of the affected people, as well as the District Attorneys and Prosecutors involved with the needs of the area. We refuse the violence perpetuated by this semblance of an agreement that legitimates criminal practices and takes away the responsibility of the governments. The companies responsible for the crimes cannot decide by themselves on the repair of diffuse and collective damages or the compensation of the families hit by the disaster. It is imperative that the victims take part in the decisions, since it is their lives and the environment that are to be rebuilt.
Brazil, May 6th, 2016
[list of signatories below] – send your sign ons to: emporiodasideias@gmail.com
Ação Franciscana de Ecologia e Solidariedade – AFES
Articulação Internacional dos Atingidos pela Vale
AMAR – Associação de Defesa do meio Ambiente de Araucária
APROMAC- Associação de Proteção ao Meio Ambiente de Cianorte
Associação Bem Te Vi Diversidade
Associação Alternativa Terrazul
Associação Brasileira de Antropologia – ABA
Associação Ambiental Voz da Natureza (ES)
Associação dos Geógrafos Brasileiros
Assembleia Nacional dos Estudantes Livres – ANEL
Brigadas Populares
Centro de Direitos Humanos e Empresas da UFJF
Cimi- Conselho Indigenista Missionário
Centro de Referência Estadual em Saúde do Trabalhador – PA
Centro Comunitário da Vila do Conde – PA
Centro de Trabalho Indigenista
Coletivo Um Minuto de Sirene
Coletivo Margarida Alves
Comissão Pró Indio de São Paulo
Comitê Nacional em Defesa dos Território frente à Mineração
Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviço (CESE)
CSP Conlutas – Central Sindical e Popular
CUT Minas
Debate em Ação
ESPAÇO DE FORMAÇÃO ASSESSORIA E DOCUMENTAÇÃO
Fase
Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación (México)
Fundação Luterana de Diaconia – FLD
FBOMS
Greenpeace Brasil
Gesta – UFMG
Grupo de pesquisa sobre território, trabalho e mercado globalizado – GETTAM/NAEA/UFPA
Homa
IBASE
IBEIDS
INESC
IEB
Igreja Cristã de Vila Valqueire
Instituto Políticas Alternativas para o Cone Sul (Pacs)
Instituto Socioambiental – ISA
International Rivers – Brasil
Instituto de Observação da Terra – INOT
Justiça Global
KOINONIA Presença Ecumênica e Serviço
Laboratório de Pesquisas em Arqueologia, Patrimônio e Processos Museológicos Comunitários
Laboratório de pesquisas e práticas sociais na amazônia – LABPSAM/CSA/UFPA
Matilha Cultural
Metabase Inconfidentes
Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB)
Movimento dos Trabalhadores sem Terra (MST)
Movimento pela Soberania Popular na Mineração (MAM)
Movimento Águas e Serras de Casa Branca – Brumadinho – MG
Movimento pelas Serras e Águas de Minas (MovSAM)
Movimento pela Preservação da Serra do Gandarela
Malungo
MAB – PA
Movimento Xingu Vivo para Sempre
Observatório dos Conflitos no Campo (OCCA)/ UFES
PAD – Articulação e Diálogo Internacional
Política, Economia, Mineração, Ambiente e Sociedade (PoEMAS)
Red Latinoamericana sobre Industrias Extractivas (RLIE)
RCA – Rede de Cooperação Amazônica
Radio Brota
Rede Justiça nos trilhos
REAJA- Rede de Articulação dos Atingidos do Projeto Minas-Rio
Serviço SVD de Júpic
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores(as) Rurais de Xapuri
Sindicato – UTE MG
Sinfrajupe – Serviço Interfranciscano de Justiça, Paz e Ecologia
Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos de São José dos Campos e Região
SOS Serra da Piedade
Toxisphera Associação de Saúde Ambiental
UNICON – Unidos por Conceição
Vivat Internacional
