Flávio Ferreira de Souza
Sources
On April 21, 2022, indigenous Tembé people from the Turé Mariquita territory (PA) and quilombolas occupied the headquarters of palm oil producer Brasil BioFuels (BBF). According to the leaders, the company violates rights and has advanced over indigenous, quilombola and riverine areas. The indigenous and quilombola demonstrators occupied the BBF headquarters also in protest against the environmental impacts caused by the company due to the use of pesticides in plantations, the irregular disposal of waste, irregularities in the company's environmental permits and frauds in the registration of lands where the palm oil plantations and the company's industrial plant are located.
Flavio Ferreira de Souza, a quilombola from Nova Betal, was irregularly detained by BBF employees during the protests, and remained for hours in the company's installations, until he was taken to a police station. The company claims that Flavio was caught red-handed stealing inside the company's premises.
A document from the Public Ministry of the State of Pará (MPPA) says that "the custodian was arrested at 4.30pm on 21/04/2022 and only presented at 10pm with evidence of a beating".
The communities allege that the BBF had hired militiamen to provide security for the headquarters and to coerce them.