Posted on November, 09 2011

Bruno Taitson, from Brasília

The text of the draft bill proposing alterations to the Forest Law was approved in the Senate Standing Committees for Science and Technology and for Agriculture and Agrarian Reform this Tuesday (November 8). The voting was 12 to 1 in favour in the former and 15 to 0 in the latter. The only vote against was that of lady senator for the state of Para, Marinor Brito (Psol) who tried unsuccessfully to stall the voting with a request for time to review the text, justifying this because the text had been altered since the committees previous meeting.

In addition to approving a text that offers amnesty for environmental crimes and has the potential to boost new waves of deforestation, those present at the voting sessions were witness to barbaric scenes of violence and truculent aggression in the corridors of the Senate. Dozens of students representing social movements had been prevented watching the session and were conducting a peaceful protest in the corridor, when they were set upon and beaten by the Senate Police and one unidentified private security guard.

One University of Brasilia student - Rafael Pinheiro Rocha - was not only violently immobilised by four policemen, but was then shocked with a stun gun. Unconscious he was dragged off and handcuffed by the Senate Police.

Lady Senator Marinor Brito was highly indignant with the Senate Police's attitude. "A student conducting a peaceful protest was handcuffed. We are going to take steps to see that this is investigated and I have already instructed my lawyer to intervene. It is obvious that gross excesses have been committed here; you cannot go around shocking and handcuffing people that are offering no resistance", she insisted.

In regard to the unidentified individual who also attacked the demonstrators, Marinor Brito was incisive. "It is no surprise to me that agribusiness thugs are circulating in the corridors of the Senate", she declared.

Still according to Marinor Brito, the debate on changes to the Forest Law have failed to make it clear to the population the real implications that the approval of the draft bill as it stands will bring about. "Big scale agribusiness has succeeded in imposing its interests on Brazilian society. This approval of the bill in the Senate reflects a government policy on the environment that consists of approving agreements reached with the ruralists [pro-agribusiness parliamentary block],"regretted Senator Marionor.

To WWF-Brazil's Public Policies Analyst Kenzo Jucá, the voting in the Committees on the current text and the truculence of the Senate Police in handling students conducting a peaceful demonstration both reflect the arbitrary posture which has been adopted in all the Forest Law discussions. "The changes proposed by scientists, researchers, students, family-based agriculturalists and the social movements have been systematically ignored in the House and in the Senate. When society does protest, then we see the barbaric behaviour we have witnessed this Tuesday here in the Senate", criticised WWF-Brazil.

The two Committees (Science and Technology; and Agriculture and Agrarian Reform) will probably vote on the amendments accompanying the draft bill before sending it on to the Standing Committee for the Environment, which will make a final analysis of the text before it goes before a plenary session of the senate for final voting, expected to take place before the end of November.

In the Science and Technology Standing Committee the following Senators voted in favour of the text presented by Senator for Santa Catarina Luiz Henrique (PMDB), charged with conducting the progress of the Bill in the senate: Ângela Portela (PT-Roraima), Aníbal Diniz (PT-Acre), Antônio Carlos Valadares (PMDB-Sergipe), Ciro Nogueira (PP-Piaui), Cyro Miranda (PSDB-Goias), Eunício Oliveira (PMDB-Pernambuco), Flexa Ribeiro (PSDB-Para), Rodrigo Rollemberg (PSB-Federal District), Sérgio Souza, Valdir Raupp (PMDB-Rondonia) and Walter Pinheiro (PT-Bahia). Lady Senator Marinor Brito (Psol-Para) was the only vote against the text.

In the Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Committee all fifteen senators present voted in favour of Luiz Henrique's text: Ana Amélia (PP-Rio Grande do Sul), Ângela Portela (PT-Roraima), Antônio Russo (PR-Mato Grosso do Sul), Benedito de Lira (PP-Alagoas), Blairo Maggi (PR-Mato Grosso), Casildo Maldaner (PMDB-Santa Catarina), Cyro Miranda (PSDB-Goias), Flexa Ribeiro (PSDB-Para), Jaime Campos (DEM-Mato Gross), Reditário Cassol (PP-Rondonia), Rodrigo Rollemberg (PSB-Federal District), Sérgio Souza (PMDB-Parana), Valdir Raupp (PMDB-Rondonia), Waldemir Moka (PMDB-Mato Grosso do Sul) and Walter Pinheiro (PT-Bahia).