Dear Friend, This past January 25th marked three years since the tragedy of the Brumadinho dam collapse in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Millions of cubic meters of toxic mining sludge were released, killing 272 people, burying entire communities, and poisoning the Paraopeba and São Francisco Rivers. It has also been six years since the Mariana dam disaster in the same region, which also devastated communities and the environment. Both disasters were preventable. And both were at the hands of the corporate mining giant Vale, which has continued its deadly operations with impunity. Meanwhile, the communities impacted by these deadly dam breaks continue to suffer the consequences. There are still families who have not buried their dead; thousands of families continue to face precarious conditions, without support to rebuild; the rivers remain contaminated with tailings and cannot be used for daily sustenance and income generation. Many face illness from contamination, as well as facing psychological impacts, evidenced by an increase in cases of depression and suicide. The floods that occurred at the beginning of this year have intensified these already dire circumstances. Rather than support these communities, the Brazilian government has largely sided with Vale, continuing to grant it massive concessions while criminalizing the communities and movements struggling for justice. Together with our partner the Movement of People Affected by Dams, we are asking for your solidarity to bring long-overdue justice to those impacted by the Brumadinho and Mariana disasters and to help put a stop to ongoing corporate impunity and government complicity in these and other cases. Please join us in demanding that Brazilian officials: - Act quickly, without further delay, to take action to repair the harm done to impacted communities and the environment;
- Ensure the participation of affected communities in all decision-making processes concerning them;
- Center the needs of those impacted and follow the principle of reversing the burden of proof;
- Guarantee the non-criminalization of those affected by the disasters; and
- Guarantee the freedom of organization of those affected.
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Please join me and thousands of others in standing up for communities affected by dams. In solidarity, |
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