agro toxins

Say no to impunity for the killers of Silvino Talavera

In addition to this call you can find a german translation, an article about the Petrona and her family, more background information about Paraguay and a call for financial support for this family and their campaign for justice and against the soy plantations.

Dear compañeras/os and organizations,

The court case that deals with the events surrounding the death of 11 year old Silvino Talavera, which was caused by agrochemical poisoning in Itapúa, Paraguay, on 7th January 2003, is in danger of being dropped next month, and the crime going unpunished by the law. The case has been static in court in an ongoing appeal process for over a year.
We ask for solidarity from individuals and organizations to pressure the Paraguayan State and Justice system to obtain a resolution of this process.
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Soy and human rights violations Paraguay

Grupo de Reflexión Rural from Argentina presents a new report providing detailed accounts of the current violent acts against rural and indigenous communities in Paraguay, which are strongly related to the expansion of (GM) soy production. Witnesses of the cases exposed in the report will be present at the coming United Nations conferences on Biosafety (MOP3) and Biodiversity (COP8).

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Peasant family in Paraguay condemned by agrotoxins

The tragedy faced by Petrona Villasboa's peasant family doesn't seem to come to an end. The family has been affected by agrotoxic contamination for more than 3 years. This time Petrona's 3 month-old grandchild i s suffering from hidrocefalia. Even after 3 years of judicial battle the family is still waiting for the conviction of those responsible f or the poisoning of Petrona´s son.

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Raising support for a peasant family in Paraguay

Here you can find a call to support a harassed and threatened family in Paraguay with their fights against big soy farmers and with their more general struggle against the marching on of soyplantations that mainly produce animal feed for Europe.

Dear Friends,

With this letter we are seeking financial support for Petrona Villasboa from Paraguay, and her family, who are currently living in ever worsening circumstances. Like many thousands of other small farmers in her region, Petrona and her family are suffering the direct consequences of the rapid expansion of industrial soy plantations around her small plot of land.
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International solidarity with 'Silvino Talavera': Visit to Paraguayan embassy in Brussels

Important Update! Now, in december 2006, the court case against the soy producers responsible for Silvino's death is finally over and the convicted farmers will go to jail.

Monday, 30 October 2006 - A group of seven activists and campaigners went to the Paraguayan embassy in Brussels. One of the aims of the support group from the 'Silvino Talavera' campaign was to hand over a petition to ambassador Raul Vera Bogado about the 'Silvino Talavera' case and ask him about the enormous impact on the environment and human rights had by the industrial agricultural-export model that is gaining more hold in Paraguay. Read more...  

Legal victory: Justice for soy victim Silvino!

The soy farmers responsible for the death of Silvino will go to Jail

Asuncion, 29 November 2006 - The Paraguayan Supreme Court has declared the extraordinary cassation request submitted by Lic. Fabio Daniel Baez Acosta, the defence lawyer of Alfredo Lautenschlager and Herman Schlender, as inadmissible. This means they will have to fulfil the sentence that was confirmed by the Appellation Tribunal of Encarnación and go to jail for two years for causing general risks and homicide. The sentence was confirmed without suspension.

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Demonstration and boat action against the 2nd Soy Round Table in Paraguay

On the 31st of August 2006, early in the morning peasant organisations, women and neighborhood associations, NGOs and many more gathered to protest against the agro export model of monoculture crops promoted by government officials and the main national and multilateral corporations who met in the Yacht and Golf Club in Asunción, Paraguay. (read more about this second, so called, Round Table on Responsible Soy' ). A march, colored by stilt walkers, murga drum players, banners, pictures and the presence of approximately 300 people.
On September 1st they organised a boat action in front of the hotel to again voice their resistance to the model they are proposing, stating that monoculture soy production will also affect river life.

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Peasant family in Paraguay condemned by agrotoxins

The tragedy faced by Petrona Villasboa's peasant family doesn't seem to come to an end. The family has been affected by agrotoxic contamination for more than 3 years. This time Petrona's 3 month-old grandchild is suffering from hidrocefalia. Even after 3 years of judicial battle the family is still waiting for the conviction of those responsible for the poisoning of Petrona´s son.

Read more...  

New report attacks Monsanto's poisonous goldmine

New study shows Roundup link with birth defects,
GM soy damages health and the environment
CEO Wednesday 22 September, 2010 - A coalition of international scientists has released a report warning of the health and environmental impacts of cultivating genetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready soy and the associated spraying of glyphosate (Roundup) herbicide [1]. Read more...