Via Campesina Press Release
(Jakarta, 9 November 2007) Hundreds of groups and individuals
participated in street actions or sent petition letters yesterday 8
November 2007 to protest against the murder of Valmir Mota d’Oliveira
Via Campesina-Brazil leader during an occupation of a Syngenta
genetically modified (GMO) field trial in Parana, Brazil. They denounced
human rights abuses by the Swiss based transnational company and more
broadly protested against genetically modified seeds and corporate
control over agriculture.
Farmers and their allies in Korea, Indonesia, East Timor, United States,
Congo and Spain staged actions in front of the Swiss embassies or the
Syngenta offices.
Korean Progressive groups including Korea Peasant League(KPL), KWPA
(Korea Women Peasant Association) and Korea Alliance of Progressive
Movements gathered in front of the Syngenta building to denounce
company’s repression and to support the Brazilian landless movement
(MST) actions promoting peasant’s seeds and sustainable agriculture.
There were also testimonies by Korean farmers suffering from Syngenta
genetically modified melon seeds.
In New York, activists from World Hunger Year, the Farmer Solidarity
Project, and Agricultural Missions Inc, and students from Rutgers
university met with Daniel Haener, Deputy Consul General at Consulate
General of Switzerland to hand him over their demands.
In Congo, in Indonesia and in East Timor (on October 30th) the Via
Campesina farmers’ organisations FSPI, Hasatil and COPACO-PRP also
staged actions asking for the culprits to be punished and for Syngenta
to leave Brazil.
In Switzerland itself, the farmer’s organisation UNITERRE, also member
of La Via Campesina, asked the President of the Swiss federation
Micheline Clamy-Rey to take a stand on the Syngenta- Brazil case.
Meanwhile, hundreds of e-mails from people from around the world, mainly
from Spain, France and Portugal were sent to the Swiss authorities or to
Syngenta head office expressing shock and asking for justice. << A
transnational company that is monopolising seeds, water and land has to
be taken accountable for its environmental and social crimes>>, says one
of the protest letter.
Henry Saragih, Indonesian based General Coordinator of La Via Campesina
said <
a long struggle. We invite all our friends and allies to keep supporting
the movement and to organise actions and mobilisations against Syngenta
and for Peasant's rights on December 10, International Human Rights Day >>.
More information and pictures on www.viacampesina.org/
Isabelle Delforge
Communication assistant
La Via Campesina - International Secretariat:
Jln. Mampang Prapatan XIV No. 5 Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta 12790 Indonesia
Phone : +62-21-7991890, Fax : +62-21-7993426, mobile phone: +62 81513224565
E-mail: idelforge viacampesina.org
Website: http://www.viacampesina.org