tent in Pariri ocupation In the middle of August 2007 another house got burned down in the peasant community of Pariri. In a plot where earlier in May already 3 more houses got destroyed. The recuperation of lands and the conflicts this causes reveal the nature of illegal soy expansion.

On February 26th an occupation was brought forth of 14 hectares of soy monoculture in this community. About 20 young people together with peasant organization MAP decided to try to reclaim a part of their community that over the last decade has been covered for more than half with soy monocultures.

torture and murder of Paraguayan campesino
The Paraguayan Peasant Movement (MCP) denounces the murder and torture of the campesino ANTONIO ALMADA, 25 años years old, married and father, who was living in the community Meno Kue, district of Jasy Cañy, province of Kanindeju.

The criminal and brutal act that took place past 26 and 27th of May. ANTONIO ALMADA left his house in the night of the 26th in the company of a friend who came to invite him to go out- without specifying the whereto. He was found dead the next day at the border of Highway 10 at aproximately 1000 metres of his house.

removing soy in Pariri ocupation
The land titles of the occupied lands in Pariri remain within the INDERT, the national land reform agency. The titles who where said to pass on to the cadaster which would mean an illegal transfer to Brazilian soy producers, for the moment being seems to be revoked. This sudden move is likely due to international pressure. The MAP has been
receaving numerous support letters.
Other positive news is that in the community of Tekojoja, this week they started to built houses after the community faced 3 violent evictions.

On May 25 th CONAMURI, the National Coordination of indigenous and rural women denounced that on may 24th a violent eviction took place in the settlement Arsenio Báez, in central province of Caaguazu. During the eviction several people got arrested of which there is no news heard untill the moment.

The eviction was brought forth by district attorney Roberto Velásquez.

Stella Semino, Grupo de Reflexion Rural:
Al Gore, the North American ex-Vice President, participated in the closing of the First Inter-American Biofuels Congress, which took place in Buenos Aires on the 11th of May.
The congress was attended by politicians and corporate representatives paying who paid $500 per person to be there. According to El Clarin, the Argentine newspaper reported to be the lobbying tool for the agrofuels industry, El Clarín, "It is widely known that the ex-president charges $170,000 for conferences appearances."

The multinational Syngenta Seeds is pressuring the Governor of the State of Paraná to expel the family farmers of the Via Campesina currently residing on the Free Land encampment with police force.

The 120 families occupied the área more than a year ago, in protest to the environmental crime committed by Syngenta. The multinational illegally cultivated genetically-modified soy and corn at the site, within the protective zoner of the Iguaçu National Park. The family farmers demanded that Syngenta pay the fine of US$ 465,000, imposed on the corporation by the IBAMA, the federal environmental agency. In November of 2006, the Governor of Paraná expropriated Syngenta´s site, and planned to turn the area into an agroecological research center.

22 May 2007: The MAP (Agrarian and Popular Movement), a Paraguayan campesino organization, is in a state of alert and requires international solidarity. A camp of landless youths from Pariri is being threatened with eviction, and there is an attempt to frame and criminalize the organization’s national leader, Jorge Galeano.
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Taking into account the deplorable human rights and socio-economic situation in Paraguay, the choice for this country to organise a Round Table conference on "responsible" soy was a bit of a strange one. The second RTRS conference inspired a united resistance among small farmers organisations, unions and NGOs in Paraguay.
read declaration below