Four years after the rupture in Brumadinho: MAB carried a political act in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) in the presence of the Mining and Energy Minister

This Wednesday morning, 25, MAB promoted a plenary in the UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais) School of Law, gathering around 500 affected people from the Paraopeba and Rio Doce Basins as a mark for the 4 years of the crime in Brumadinho. During the act, the affected people denounced the lack of an integral reparation for different communities from the Basin and charged for support from the present authorities to the promotion of justice and security for the population of the state.

“The families who are here came to denounce how their communities remain without reparation, living along with new rights violations, water contaminated by superbacteria, soil and air pollution, and with physical and mental health increasingly endangered. Besides that, the affected people pay homage to the families of the victims, especially to the three that are still missing”, affirmed Letícia Oliveira, MAB´s coordinator in the event opening.

In his speech, Jarbas Soares Júnior, General prosecutor of Justice at Public Prosecution of Minas Gerais (MPMG, in the Portuguese acronym) committed himself to act for a just agreement.

The Mining and Energy Minister, Alexandre Silveira, reaffirmed the commitment made in his investiture in the federal government. “We will not forget Brumadinho and Mariana. We will invest resources and efforts in a staunch inspection of the dam´s security to avoid regrettable events to happen again.”, affirmed.

Silveira also talked about the necessity of creating new mining practices in the country, which prioritize the respect of life. “We start our work guiding our actions by socioenvironmental justice, with the decrease of the inequalities, of the impacts on affected people and inclusion of the communities in the positive results of the enterprises. There will be no possibility in our country of any mining policy lenient to insecurity. Our commitment is to security and respect for life. Our mineral resources must be exploited in an opportune, sustainable, and rational way”, he said.

Lastly, the Minister highlighted the importance of social movements, such as MAB, in the defense of the affected people´s interests.  “I received last week MAB´s representatives to hear about the demands of the families impacted by the ruptures in Brumadinho and Mariana, besides dialog on public policies which are capable of guaranteeing the security of the mining activity in the country. I have clearness of the importance of hearing social movements”.

Diversify the economic model of Minas Gerais

The elected deputy Duda Salabert (PDT)also manifested her support to the people affected by dams and committed herself to struggle not just for the accountability of the guilty for the crimes in Mariana and Brumadinho, but for a more rational economic model in the state of Minas Gerais as well “4 years of Vale´s crime in Brumadinho. It is a mourning day, but also a day of struggle, for the mining companies are destroying not only people´s lives but the environmental legislature too. The mining companies keep destroying our saws, such as the Saw of Curral and the Saw of Gandarela. They are destroying our aquifers and also our institutions because the mining companies are buying a parcel of the legislative and the judiciary branches, and have financed the executive power”, analyzed the parliamentarian.

Duda also affirmed that many communities are hostages of the mining companies which preaches an ideology by which Minas Gerais depends intrinsically on mining.

“Mining represents 4% of the state´s GDP. 4% pays for the death of rivers? 4% does not pay for the death of rivers, does not pay for the death of hundreds of people, does not pay for the death of our biodiversity, and the contamination of aquifers. It does not pay for the suffering and suicides that happened as a result of these crimes. For this reason, we will charge not just for justice, but also for the diversification of our economic model.”

For Joelísia Feitosa, affected in Juatuba, Paraopeba Basin, from 4 years ago, residents are being neglected. “We had an agreement made by the mining company without the government which has no centrality of the affected people. We want now to be protagonists. Firstly, we want justice to prevail, Vale to be punished and serve as an example for this crime never to happen again because 272 lives were reaped. Until now, we are suffering from hydric insecurity and medical problems”, highlighted the resident who is one of MAB´s coordinators in the region.

Also participated in the event Carlos Bruno, Federal Public Ministry – (MPF in the Portuguese acronym) prosecutor, Luiza Dulci, representative of The General Secretary of the Republic Presidency, Luísa Barreto, secretary of Planning and Management of the State of Minas Gerais, Sandra Regina Goulart Almeida, rector of UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais), Raquel da Costa Dias, general public defender of Minas Gerais (DPE in the Portuguese acronym), Ricardo Lannotti, sub secretary of the Espírito Santo Civil Office, among other authorities. Organizations that are MAB´s partners such as Caritas, Cut, CTB, CMP, SindiPetro, Sind UTE and technical advisories (Aedas and Guaiacuí).