[E-rundbrief] Info 1178 - Condemning the murder of Cícero Guedes, MST Brasil

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 1178 - The Right Livelihood Award (S): Condemning 
the murder of Cícero Guedes, leader of the Brazilian Landless Workers’ 
Movement MST.

Bad Ischl, 1.2.2013

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Condemning the murder of Cícero Guedes, leader of the Brazilian 
Landless Workers’ Movement MST

The Right Livelihood Award

February 1st 2013

The Right Livelihood Award Foundation strongly condemns the murder of 
Cícero Guedes, a leader of the Brazilian Landless Workers’ Movement 
MST. The MST received the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the 
“Alternative Nobel Prize”) in 1991.

Cícero Guedes dos Santos, coordinator of the Landless Workers’ 
Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra, MST) of Brazil 
was killed by gunmen on Friday, January 25th. He received some twelve 
shots to the head while he was bicycling away from a settlement of 
landless families in the vicinity of the Cambahyba sugar plant, in the 
municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes in Rio de Janeiro. It is yet 
unclear who is responsible for the murder.

The MST received the Right Livelihood Award Foundation in the Swedish 
Parliament in Stockholm in 1991 "for winning land for landless 
families and helping them to farm it sustainably". Ole von Uexkull, 
Executive Director of the Foundation, said: "The Right Livelihood 
Award Foundation strongly condemns this crime and calls on the state 
of Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian government to protect the Landless 
Movement and their activists."

Other Laureates of the Right Livelihood Award from all over the world 
expressed their solidarity and support to the family and colleagues of 
the murdered activist. The Paraguayan educator and human rights 
advocate Martín Almada (RLA 2002), lamented that "violent actions 
continue to claim the lives of Latin American leaders and advocates 
for the environment and sustainability."

On their website (www.mst.org.br/), the MST explains that Cícero 
Guedes, who was a sugar-cane cutter, coordinated the occupation of a 
complex of seven farms with 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) located in 
the State of Rio de Janeiro. 14 years ago, this large estate was 
subject to expropriation by the National Institute of Colonization and 
Agrarian Reform (INCRA). However, the process continued only recently, 
when it was approved by the Federal Court in August 2012.

Although 11 years ago he had already managed to acquire land and 
become a "settler" himself, Cícero Guedes dos Santos remained a 
tireless advocate of agrarian reform. He taught organic farming 
techniques to families occupying estates and would always argue that 
the products obtained from ecologically sound agriculture are 
"superior" to those sold in supermarkets. His colleagues and family 
say that nature "was his source of inspiration.”

Cícero Guedes leaves behind five children.

For more information, please see:

     * Autoridades lamentam assassinato de coordenador do MST no Rio 
(www.mst.org.br/content/autoridades-lamentam-assassinato-de-coordenador-do-mst-no-rio 
)
     * Cícero Guedes, coordenador da ocupação na Usina Cambahyba, é 
assassinado no Rio 
(www.mst.org.br/content/cicero-guedes-coordenador-da-ocupacao-na-usina-cambahyba-e-assassinado-no-rio)
     * MST Laureate page on www.rightlivelihood.org 
(http://rightlivelihood.org/mst.html)


Contact

Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra
Email: secgeral at mst.org.br
Skype: mstbrasil
http://www.mst.org.br/

Martín Almada
Right Livelihood Award 2002
Phone: +595 21 425 345
Email: almada at fcpa.org.py

About the Award

Founded in 1980, the Right Livelihood Awards are presented annually in 
the Swedish Parliament and are often referred to as ‘Alternative Nobel 
Prizes’. They were introduced “to honour and support those offering 
practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing 
us today”.

Jakob von Uexkull, a Swedish-German professional philatelist, sold his 
business to provide the original funding. Since then, individual 
donors have financed the Award.

There are 149 Right Livelihood Award Laureates from 62 countries.

The Right Livelihood Award Foundation
PO Box 15072, 104 65 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 (0) 8 702 03 40 or 702 03 39; Fax: +46 (0)8 702 03 38
info at rightlivelihood.org
www.rightlivelihood.org


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Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Salzkammergut,
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305 BIC: SKBIAT21XXX

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Ausgezeichnet mit dem (österr.) "Journalismus-Preis von unten 2010"

Honoured by the (Austrian) "Journalism-Award from below 2010"