Attempt to criminalize the MST is denounced at the UN Human Rights Council.

247 - The attempt to criminalize the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) promoted by the government of Jair Bolsonaro (without party affiliation) was the subject of a debate at the annual meeting of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations (UN). The meeting took place at the United Nations Palace, in Geneva, Switzerland, this Wednesday (4).

Representatives of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation – the foundation responsible for the Alternative Nobel Prize – issued a statement saying they are “particularly concerned about President Bolsonaro’s plan to classify the activities of the MST, the 1991 Right Livelihood Laureate [the Alternative Nobel Prize], as terrorist activities.” The statement was read during an Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Hilal Elver. 

Ao Brazil of FactCamilla Argentieri, a representative of the Foundation, explained that the attempt to criminalize the movement has drawn the attention of the international community. "Also noteworthy are the recent stances taken by the Brazilian government against the movement and, in general, against Brazil's authoritarian policies." 

Argentieri reports that the intention of the declaration made at the UN is to exert pressure on Brazilian authorities and help international entities understand the behavior of the Brazilian government. She assesses that the declaration had a great impact and was "very important, very powerful, and drew the attention of many international civil society organizations that support the MST cause."

The Brazilian government requested the right of reply, guaranteed to all states, whether or not they are members of the council. According to Argentieri, the Bolsonaro government justified its request by stating that the 1988 Federal Constitution protects the rights of all peoples, but that this must be in accordance with the rule of law and cannot violate the laws.

“[The Brazilian representation] refers to the actions of the MST, saying how the violation of private lands, public property, and activities are related to terrorism. But the mere fact that Brazil contested our statement means there was an impact, because otherwise there would have been no response,” he argues. 

Hilal Elver's report, which was also presented during the meeting, mentions that farmers and small producers are not valued by the Brazilian state and that their human rights are frequently violated, despite them being responsible for producing about 70% of the food consumed in the country.

In response to the report, the Foundation's statement affirmed that "the MST has worked for decades with peasant families in Brazil, defending democracy and human rights. Its actions seek to defend the most vulnerable, in the face of a government that wants to legalize land grabbing, handing over more than 70 million hectares of public land to transnational companies that, as the report mentions, destroy the environment and increase fires in the Amazon."

The UN Human Rights Council meets annually in Geneva to discuss a range of issues related to human rights, such as the environment, food, cultural rights, and the like.