Case History: Alexandre Anderson
On the night of 4 November 2013, two break-ins occurred in the city of Magé in the state of Rio de Janeiro. One was at the offices of the Associação dos Homens do Mar – AHOMAR (Association of Seamen), and the other at the home of human rights defender and former head of AHOMAR, Mr Alexandre Anderson de Souza.
Alexandre Anderson is an fisherman and human rights defender, working tirelessly for the rights of men and women who make their living from fishing and the sea. He faces a constant struggle against land developers, corporate interests and government authorities.
On the night of 4 November 2013, two break-ins occurred in the city of Magé in the state of Rio de Janeiro. One was at the offices of the Associação dos Homens do Mar – AHOMAR (Association of Seamen), and the other at the home of human rights defender and former head of AHOMAR, Mr Alexandre Anderson de Souza.
AHOMAR is an organisation that defends the rights of the fisherfolk working in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and particularly those affected by the construction of a gas pipeline for Petrobras. AHOMAR argues that there are reports of environmental permit irregularities in the construction of the pipeline and it will have a negative impact on local flora and fauna as well as on the livelihood of those who fish in those waters in the Guanabara Bay.
On 5 November 2013, it was discovered that the front door of the AHOMAR headquarters had been forcibly entered during the night and property had been broken and interfered with, whilst a computer processor had been stolen. The contents of a filing cabinet had been gone through and papers were scattered across the floor. Chairs had been broken and a 14'' computer monitor, keyboard, hand-held mouse and a printer had been damaged.
The home of Alexandre Anderson de Souza had also been broken into on the same night. Neighbours discovered two holes in the outer wall, the front door had been broken in, iron bars on windows had been damaged and windows had been smashed. A number of items were missing from the house, including personal documents and photos, fishing equipment and appliances.
Alexandre Anderson de Souza has suffered a number of threats to his life and has been under the National Programme for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (NPPHRD) since 2009. Together with his family he is currently living in the state of Rio de Janeiro and was not residing at his home where the break-in took place.
The protection programme has been unable to ensure Alexandre Anderson de Souza and his family’s return to their residence in Magé, and as a result the human rights defender remains unable to resume his work at AHOMAR. Four members of AHOMAR have been killed to date.
On 28 January 2013, a number of Brazilian civil society organisations and social movements addressed an open letter to Mr Igo Martini, Coordinator of the National Programme for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (NPPHRD) and the head of the Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic for Human Rights Ms Maria do Rosário regarding the security situation for human rights defender Mr Alexandre Anderson de Souza. The document was signed by several organisations from the state of Rio de Janeiro and many other states across the country.
Alexandre Anderson de Souza is head of the Associação dos Homens do Mar – AHOMAR (Association of Seamen), an organisation set up to defend the rights of the fisherfolk working in Rio de Janeiro, and particularly those affected by the construction of a gas pipeline for Petrobras.
AHOMAR argues that there are reports of environmental permit irregularities in the construction of the pipeline and it will have a negative impact on local flora and fauna as well as on the livelihood of those who fish in those waters in the Guanabara Bay.
Alexandre Anderson de Souza has suffered a number of threats to his life and has been under the NPPHRD since 2009, but the federal government has delegated the responsibility to authorities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where he and his family live. However, the human rights defender and a number of Brazilian civil society organisations and social movements that support him, have been repeatedly expressing their discontent with the protection offered by the state programme and the conditions in which Alexandre Anderson de Souza, his wife Ms Daize Menezes and their children have been forced to live.
As the situation has worsened the human rights defender and his family have had to relocate to different hotels in the city of Rio de Janeiro but the locations were highly insecure. The buildings did not have 24-hour reception personnel and the rooms they were accommodated in had no telephone. The protection programme has been unable to ensure Alexandre and his family’s return to their residence in Magé, and as a result the human rights defender remains unable to resume his work at AHOMAR. Four members of AHOMAR have been killed to date.
Another point of discontent with the state protection programme has been the unsatisfactory level of legal support provided to the human rights defender by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Projeto Legal (Legal Project). Projeto Legal has signed an agreement with the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro, in the context of the state protection programme, to provide legal support and advice to the human rights defenders included in the programme.
After repeated complaints about the NGO’s inaction in several instances, Alexandre Anderson de Souza received information from a reliable source that one of Projeto Legal’s main funders is Petrobras, the same oil company whose actions the human rights defender and his organisation AHOMAR have been trying to hold accountable for environmental damages. The information was confirmed on the websites of both Petrobras and the NGO, but neither they, nor the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro, have clarified the terms of the agreement, raising doubts over the impartiality of the organisation and a conflict of interests.
