Genocide again

A round 29 people including the former state governor and a former top policeman have been accused of genocide of an uncontacted Rio Pardo Indian tribe. Brazilian tv has recently shown the first known images of these Indians. No outsider knows who they are or what language they speak. But their lands have continuously been invaded by land grabbers and logging companies.

Meanwhile, in another case, the federal police moved to evict about 200 Indians from their land in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state recently. They were carrying out a court order obtained by powerful ranchers. The Brazilian government in March decided to expand the size of the tribes' reservation after a number of Indian children died of starvation in the region. But ranchers obtained a temporary ruling to ban Indian occupation of the area until all members of the Federal Supreme Court have a chance to rule on its validity.