Norte Energia forbids MAB to protest against Belo Monte

“The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) is forbidden to make any kind of protest against Norte Energia or else it will have to pay a fine of 500 Reais per day.”

This is a way of criminalizing social movements and intimidating people not to struggle for their rights. March 13th, inhabitants of Altamira-PA organized in the MAB interdicted the highway next to Acioly highway,which connects the Transamazonica to the city access.

Since Belo Monte started to be built, our city suffered with the disorderly populational growth, which increased criminality, caused deaths due to traffic accidents, serious problems in the public health system, overloaded the schools, kindergarten and elementary schools don´t have capacity to receive any more students.

The consortium owner of the hidro-power dam Norte Energia (NESA) came here and promised paradise to everyone. For those affected by the lake , urban resettlement of houses made of mortar and brick were promised and also collective functional equipments. Today, there are more than hundred families in the Jatobá resettlement and the houses are made of concrete, which has a due date and instruction manuals to guard the integrity of the building. No schools or kindergartens have been build in the resettlement.

Now, during the rain season the situation is worse. Hundreds of families who are still in the low areas of the city are being removed from their homes because of the flood of the Xingu river. The Agro Exposition Park is crowded of sheltered families. There are more than 15 schools without class because those are also being used for shelters. The shelters are in insalubrious conditions, children and adults dispute space and there is mud inside the improvised tents.

Norte Energia says that it has nothing to do with this. Also, the rent has increased, this has impacted Altamira, Vitória do Xingu and Brasil Novo. In Brasil Novo and Vitória do Xingu the solution which the families found for the abusive rent increase has been the occupation of land which were not accomplishing any social function. In Altamira, the families who could not afford the raised rent occupied new areas in the “Baixões” (neighbourhoods on stilts).

Due to this situation, the blockade of the highway was the way families found to draw the attention of Norte Energia, Federal, State and Municipal governments. The families of Altamira want immediate change for the resettlement. This scenario has been foreseen because of the intensity of the Amazonian rain season and due to the intervention in the Xingu river with the dam construction, even so Norte Energia did not make progress in the construction of the resettlement. Meanwhile, the construction of the dam does not stop for a second.

The carters want to be recognized as affected by the dam, they are not included in the Basic Enviromental Plan ( PBA). The families of the encampments of Brasil Novo and Vitória do Xingu want to be included in the register as affected by the dam and have guarantee of land tenure which they are occupying and attendance within the construction of housing program.

The families decided to block the highway. At 3:30 am, the highway was blocked by dozens of workers who are affected by the Belo Monte dam. At 9:30, Norte Energia, House of Government and representatives of those affected discussed the demands. After more than three hours of negotiation, and not much progress, but understanding that the few things settled was already a small victory for the affected. The highway was reopened after assembly of the affected.

But today, I, Fabiano, received in my house an Action of Interdiction signed by judge Dr. Gleucival Zeed Estevão. In the document me and comrade Antonio Claret are notified that the MAB is prohibited to make any protest against Belo Monte, or else the movement will have to pay a 500 Reais fine.

This is a way of criminalizing social movements and intimidating people not to struggle for their rights. Norte Energia, responsible for worsening the problems of Altamira’s population and region, thinks that it has the right to stop families from protest against Norte Energia’s abuses.

The prohibitory interdict is just one more material proof of the implanted dictatorship of the economic power of this consortium which only brought disgrace to our region.
And yet the judiciary cooperates with this unjust process to silence the voices of the oppressed. This is what is called democracy in a country where the boss is the capital power and the judiciary is subservient and loyal to those who destroy the lives of thousands of families.