German Parliamentarians visited Brazil and attended the National Campaign of Via Campesina

Published in Portuguese in 22-30 August

A German parliamentary representation visited São Paulo, Brasília and Pará. Among other agendas, they got better understanding of the impacts of large projects and the violations of human rights, with a focus on the debate about the repression of social movements and rights defenders. 

This visit was an offshoot of the agenda that social movements, through PAD (Process of Coordination and Dialogue), held in April this year in Brazil, Norway, Germany and Switzerland. 

Ricardo Montagner of the national coordination of MAB who travelled with the delegation, reported that meetings were held in Germany with parliamentarians, who got interested in visiting Brazil to check the reports they received. 

Last Thursday (25 of August) MPs attended in Brasilia the National Campaign of Via Campesina. Ricardo Montagner said that contact with Brazilian workers is very important because knowing the reality of workers and social movements in Brazil helps to understand the complaints of human rights violations that are made abroad. 

“We recognize that this is a very important step for all Brazilian social movements. By knowing our situation parliamentarians can intervene in favour in Germany and in Brazil” said Ricardo. 

After Brasilia, the German delegation headed to Belem. Visits to mineral activities, environmental preservation and meetings with government officials of the executive and legislative branches, and with representatives of social movements, especially those related to human rights, access to land and to people affected by dams, were held.

The national coordinators of MAB exposed the problems of the construction of the hydroelectric plant in Belo Monte and the violation of human rights of people affected by dams in Brazil. Those violations were included in the report of the National Council in Defence of the Rights of the Human Person.