The Curitiba Jury Court acquitted on Friday (29) the ruralist Marcos Prochet, former president of the Rural Democratic Union (UDR), of the accusation of being responsible for the murder of the rural worker Sebastião Camargo, reports the portal Brazil 247The crime occurred in 1998, during an eviction operation at the Boa Sorte Farm, in Marilena, in northwestern Paraná.
The decision brings to a close, at least for now, a long legal journey marked by successive trials, appeals, annulments of sentences, and debates about who is responsible for one of the most symbolic episodes of land conflicts recorded in the state.
The acquittal occurred despite testimonies that, throughout the process, pointed to Prochet's identification at the crime scene. The case had already attracted the attention of international organizations and was even analyzed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which in 2009 held the Brazilian State responsible for the delay in conducting the process.
The Public Prosecutor's Office of Paraná has stated that it will still evaluate the possibility of appealing the decision.
The process spanned almost three decades.
The murder of Sebastião Camargo occurred during an eviction operation involving hundreds of landless families who were occupying the Boa Sorte Farm.
Over the years, Marcos Prochet has been subjected to various jury trials and has been convicted on three separate occasions, in 2013, 2016, and 2021.
However, the convictions were later overturned by the Court of Justice of Paraná after appeals filed by the defense.
The course of the proceedings was marked by several episodes that contributed to its prolonged duration, including the loss of the physical case files at a certain point in the legal action.
As a result, the case dragged on for almost three decades until the trial that led to the acquittal of the landowner.
New witness changed the course of the trial.
One of the central elements of the trial was the presentation of a new witness by the defense on the eve of the session.
This refers to Jair Firmino, known as "Borracha," who appeared in court and confessed to firing the shot that killed Sebastião Camargo.
During his testimony, he classified the death as an accident.
The strategy generated strong opposition from the prosecution, which pointed to the initiative as an attempt to deflect responsibility from Marcos Prochet.
According to the prosecution, the confession occurred at a time when any potential criminal liability for Firmino would already be time-barred, preventing any punishment from being applied.
The testimony itself revealed that family members and lawyers connected to Prochet had assisted with the witness's travel, accommodation, and legal support in the days leading up to the trial.
Another point highlighted by the prosecution was the prior relationship between the two men.
In 2011, Prochet had publicly defended Firmino in another case involving the death of a farm worker, describing him as a "worker." However, in this week's trial, the landowner stated that he did not know him.
Witnesses corroborated the prosecution's version of events.
During the jury trial, witnesses who were present at the events reaffirmed versions of events they had presented in earlier stages of the process.
According to reports, the shooter was wearing a hood and a jacket with UDR symbols. Some witnesses also said they recognized physical characteristics, the voice, and the way the person was treated by other members of the group present at the eviction.
According to the prosecution, the man identified by witnesses was referred to as "commander" during the operation.
The Public Prosecutor's Office also argued that, after the crime, a strategy was created to construct alibis that would distance Prochet from the scene of the murder.
Family reacts to acquittal.
The decision provoked a strong reaction among relatives of Sebastião Camargo, who followed the trial in the capital of Paraná.
Messias Camargo, the victim's son, was present during the sessions. He was 15 years old when his father was killed by a gunshot to the head.
Commenting on the outcome, he spoke about the impact of the loss on his family.
“They preach so much, like they [Prochet's defense] were talking about family yesterday, that they are family. And what about my family, how does it feel? How does my family fare? You can't have your father, you can't see your father, raise your grandchildren. How do we feel? Is that what family is to them? And my family? Doesn't my family feel anything? […] They didn't kill a dog, they killed a man, they killed a father. We've been feeling this pain for a long time. We're not human beings without hearts. Why is the poor person like a dog to these people? Doesn't he have a future, doesn't he have any value?” he says.
Social movements speak of impunity.
Representatives of social movements linked to the struggle for land also criticized the outcome of the trial.
For leaders of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), the decision It reinforces a historical perception of impunity in crimes related to agrarian conflicts..
João Flávio Borba, a member of the state leadership of the movement, stated that the case has strong political significance for those who have followed the land conflicts recorded in Paraná in recent decades.
“The emphasis is on the feeling of impunity; those who lived through it for more than 20 years know what all the actions that the UDR, in one way or another, repressed meant, resulting in deaths and a climate of tension that existed within the region […]. It is an updated portrait of Brazil as a country of impunity for crimes committed against rural populations for more than 500 years.”
The case can be returned to international organizations.
The organization Terra de Direitos, which acted as an assistant prosecutor, stated that it intends to continue seeking accountability in international forums.
According to Darci Frigo, a representative of the organization, the acquittal does not end the mobilization surrounding the case.
"The violence perpetrated by the UDR and large landowners in the state of Paraná cannot go unpunished, and we will pursue international avenues to ensure justice for Sebastião Camargo and all rural workers who were victims of violence and murder at the hands of agents and representatives of large landowners."
The land that became a settlement.
The murder of Sebastião Camargo occurred during an operation to remove approximately 300 families from the Boa Sorte Farm.
At the time, the area had already been deemed unproductive by the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) and was in the process of being expropriated.
According to information related to the case, the farm owner had already received compensation from the federal government when the incident that resulted in the farm worker's death occurred.
Over the years, the area was transformed into the Santo Ângelo and Sebastião Camargo settlements.
Currently, more than two thousand families live in the region, where they develop agricultural activities, maintain production cooperatives, and participate in projects focused on food cultivation, including the production of agroecological rice intended to supply public schools.
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