Anatomy of a land grab: the law, likes, and legislator behind an Indigenous land invasion in Brazil
The polished leather of Francisco “Torrinho” Torres’ shoes gleamed as he walked toward the lectern in the plenary chamber of the Pará state legislature in the Brazilian Amazon. The 57-year-old rancher-turned-politician moved unhurriedly as he prepared to deliver a speech that would set in motion a series of events leading to new invasions of the […]
Francisco "Torrinho" Torres, a 57-year-old rancher-turned-politician, strode confidently towards the lectern in the Pará state legislature plenary chamber. Despite his polished leather shoes, the senator's journey to deliver a speech that would trigger new invasions of the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory was anything but routine. His background was marred by environmental fines, a corruption probe, and ongoing land disputes.
Standing behind his well-tailored suit and receiving supportive nods from his agribusiness allies, Torres unveiled a bill he had authored – the APA Bacajaí. He portrayed this measure as a solution for struggling families seeking to cultivate land and establish solid agricultural practices. Three additional state representatives joined him, each extolling the virtues of the bill.
They spoke of farmers yearning for land titles, families yearning for credit without the burden of titles, and the uncertainty wrought by potential Indigenous land claims. The chamber unanimously passed the bill in just 24 minutes, with no dissent or requests for further clarification. The newly created 142,400-hectare (about 351,900-acre) reserve, however, was set to entirely encroach upon the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory.
The region had been under a land-use protection order since 2011 to shield it from such encroachments.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
