New law in PA establishes 'Green and Yellow April' to defend private property, in the month marked by the 'Eldorado do Carajás Massacre'

Pará now has a new law that defines the month of April dedicated to debates and preventive actions against land occupations. Governor Hana Ghassan (MDB) sanctioned Law No. 11,731, which institutes the "Green and Yellow April", a period that will now be focused on the defense of private property.

The new legislation, published after approval by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Pará (Alepa), is now in force and authorizes the government to include the campaign in the state's official calendar of events.

The month of April in Pará is marked by the Eldorado do Carajás Massacre, an episode that occurred 30 years ago and marked the history of rural workers in the state. A Military Police operation caused the death of 21 workers in 1996.

The state is also marked by land conflicts, which continue on a large scale in the state. A survey by the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) indicates more than 200 areas in dispute, involving around 20 thousand families.

Environmentalists and human rights defenders, heard by g1, criticize the new measure.

For the researcher at the Amazon Institute of Man and Environment (Imazon), Brenda Brito, the "month of April in Pará, in the agrarian theme, is a month to remember and raise awareness about the struggle for agrarian reform."

"April 17th, the day of the Eldorado Massacre, was declared National Day of Struggle for Agrarian Reform, which is why it is known as Red April", he points out.

g1 also contacted the CPT and was awaiting its position until the last update of the report.

What does the new law say?

According to a publication in the Official State Gazette, the main objective of the campaign is to create "a protection and information network for rural and urban landowners".

The text of the law establishes guidelines to avoid agrarian conflicts and land invasions through educational actions, technology and police cooperation.

Among the priority goals of "Green and Yellow April" are:

Quick communication: Encourage owners to immediately call the police when they detect any suspicious movement or attempted break-in.

Community surveillance: Encourage mutual cooperation between neighboring producers, families and local communities to share safety information.

Training and crisis management: Promote technical training on installing monitoring systems, regularizing notary documents and peaceful reaction protocols in crisis situations.

Legal education: Disseminate information about the constitutional rights that guarantee private property and the legal limits for its defense.

Integration with PM

The new law also suggests the creation of a direct service channel to receive preventive reports. The proposal, according to the decree, is that the information collected by the channel be passed on quickly to the Rural Patrol Program of the Military Police of Pará.

With the sanction, state public security and agricultural development bodies must plan the first integrated actions for the month of April next year.