Paid in Blood (2025)

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IN 2013, RURAL WORKERS OCCUPIED

THE SANTA LCIA FARM IN PAR,

AT THE BORDER OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST.

LIVING FAR AWAY FROM THE LAND,

ITS OWNERS HIRED

LAWYERS AND PRIVATE SECURITY,

AND CALLED IN THE POLICE

TO REMOVE THE OCCUPANTS.

MEANWHILE, 200 LANDLESS FAMILIES BEGAN

TURNING PASTURELAND INTO SMALL FARMS.

JANE JLIA REVOLUTIONARY AREA

AND SETTLEMENIN MAY 2017, A CIVIL AND MILITARY POLICE

OPERATION SURROUNDED THE FARM.

THE POLICE SAY THEY WERE MET WITH g*nf*re.

TEN WORKERS WERE k*lled.

NO POLICE OFFICERS WERE INJURED.

That's my father in there!

My uncle, my cousins.

Why did you dump their bodies like that?

That's no way to treat a human being.

Back off, don't get any closer.

And you still wanna play tough?

They claim it was a shootout,

but their trucks are intact.

Not a single cop was injured.

-Ten people were k*lled.

-They shot to k*ll.

My uncle was shot only in the face.

If it was a shootout,

why was he only shot in the face?

We were born on this Earth

and must live off it, work and be fed.

We bring food to your table,

to yours and everyone else's.

We put food on everybody's table.

God didn't come down from Heaven

and handed out deeds

to make these b*stards large landowners.

If no one steps up to tell

what actually happened on the record,

only the police's version will stand.

We will never accept them trying

to twist the facts

around the police operation in Pau d'Arco.

They wanna say the police ex*cuted them

and committed a m*ssacre.

They've been stirring up trouble

like a g*ng of bandits!

To the farmers,

the police and their families,

business owners,

firefighters and civilians,

you are not alone in this w*r!

We're together!

-Did the police provide that information?

-Yes, the police officers who were here.

They claim that's where it happened.

There's no sign of confrontation,

or at least it didn't happen over there.

-Did the police interview any witnesses?

-I don't know if there are any.

We were under the tarp,

it was raining heavily.

It was 7 a.m.

I had just made coffee that morning.

I just heard a voice saying:

"Police! Don't run, or you will die".

That's what I heard.

Then they started sh**ting.

We were sitting on the ground.

When I fell, I thought I had been shot.

People say when you get shot,

you don't feel pain.

You just feel numb and I felt it.

But I checked my body

and found no wounds or blood.

You're filming

You won't show our faces

in the video, right?

To be honest with you, I know

I should be worried about my safety.

But I want people to know what happened.

We can't hide what happened.

FERNANDO

RURAL WORKER

They could have rounded us all up

and taken us to jail.

If they wanted.

It was raining hard,

they could have surrounded us,

and said:

"Police. Don't run, you're under arrest".

Or: "Don't run, we're searching the area".

Standard police procedure.

No, they came in shouting and firing.

That's when I ran out from under the tarp

and managed to escape through the g*nf*re.

I got up, he was shot and fell over me.

He was shivering

and looked at me with a sad gaze.

Bruno

And I was stuck between him

and the edge of the tarp.

My legs got tangled in the tarp.

He fell on top of my legs.

It's sad.

Bruno

I

Sorry.

I was with him the longest.

We used to play

The morning he died, earlier,

he gave me a hug.

He said to me

He called me over, like: "Come here".

Teasing me, you know?

He said: "I was so cold last night,

I want your blanket tonight".

Teasing me, you know?

"I'm not sleeping in the cold anymore".

He hugged me

as I was pouring him some coffee.

Ten minutes later

they k*lled him.

Not only him,

they k*lled him and all my friends,

but I was especially fond of him.

You know?

FERNANDO AND THE OTHER SURVIVORS

GET IN THE WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM.

Let me feel your fire of love

In my heart

My Lord

Let me feel your searing flames

In my heart, my Lord...

We came to pay our respects

to the ten people who died here last year.

Ten rural workers were k*lled,

and not a single police officer

was injured.

This m*ssacre must serve as inspiration

to claim this land under our feet for us.

Let me feel, your searing flames

In my heart

In memory of all the workers

and of our friend Jane,

who were brutally m*rder*d.

-Jane Jlia!

-Present, present, present!

We'd like to invite our comrade Vargas

to share a few words, please.

I'd like to address the workers,

specifically.

You, the rural workers will be the ones

keeping Santa Lcia's case alive.

So let us try to remain united.

And whenever we face hardship,

let us try to rekindle

what we saw here today.

The memory of the martyrs

is very important.

Those who were here then know

that I chose

that I chose to represent you legally

because Jane was my friend.

And

FOR THE RIGHT TO LIVE,

TO THE LAND AND PEACE IN THE FIELDS!

We know it's hard,

being on the front line isn't easy.

I was born in southern Brazil,

and I moved here.

My father had a commercial law firm,

so I came to work with him.

It had nothing to do with the movement,

or anything like that.

VARGAS

LAWYER

In 2015, I had been living here

for five years,

Jane came to see me.

They had occupied a piece of land,

and we ended up becoming friends.

The case went on,

the eviction was suspended,

and the lawsuit continued.

Jane and I became friends

and I began working on these cases.

The right to land

is about landless people fighting

to have a piece of land to cultivate,

for family farming.

So, it stands in contrast

to large-scale agribusiness.

For example,

Santa Lcia belongs to a single family,

they own five or six other farms.

So, if Santa Lcia

were to be designated for a land reform,

instead of one family,

it would support 200 families.

So, people occupied it,

saying it was unproductive.

Unproductive land is automatically

designated for a land reform.

Santa Lcia is exactly

where the Amazon Rainforest begins.

You have the Cerrado,

then a transition area,

then that's where the forest begins.

All the deeds used to say,

"General Forest Lands Company".

That's where the forest begins.

Why is the municipality called

"Pau d'Arco"?

Because there's a large concentration

of ip trees, known as "pau d'arco" here.

I've planted several ip trees

around the house.

When people come to visit,

they called it "ip",

but here they say

I have many pau d'arco trees.

Vargas, it's been a year

since your family had to leave, right?

-Yes.

-How come?

-I got in the program and

-Which program?

The Human Rights Defenders

Protection Program.

The program already wanted them to leave.

Then someone k*lled our dog

and broke into the house.

So, they had to leave.

-It's hard, because they are far away.

-That must be hard for you.

It takes two days to get there

and two days to come back.

So, it's really

I had never gone a week

without seeing them.

We had never been apart

for more than a week.

Most of the threats come indirectly.

Someone tells a mutual friend:

"Tell that lawyer guy,

that when the dust settles,

we'll k*ll him".

And still that didn't make you

want to quit?

No, this makes me even more determined

to keep going.

I might quit for other reasons.

But this pushes me forward even more

than it holds me back.

JANE JLIA REVOLUTIONARY AREA

AND SETTLEMENThat's Santa Lcia.

After the m*ssacre,

the survivors lost trust

in the authorities.

That's when I stepped in

to identify and track down the survivors.

Fernando was the first survivor.

The first one we tracked down,

because he came back

and called one of the victims' relatives.

Being a survivor in a place like this

People are always going:

"Must've been so hard!".

I say: "Girl, I'm tired.

I don't want to talk about it".

There's always someone asking:

"Tell me what happened.

My goodness!

I would never come back here".

It's all the time, you know?

Put yourself in my shoes

and try to imagine how I feel.

People get upset

when I don't want to talk.

It's not just you, there's always someone.

He knows. This place is wide open.

Every type of people come

to ask me about it.

People coming from Chinguara,

Bento brings over a million people over.

A Hilux drove by three days ago,

packed full of men.

They had thick gold bracelets.

I looked and said:

"They are definitely not reporters".

Fernando, can I change your microphone?

-We're not talking about the past.

-Girl, we're already doing it.

We'll talk about the future

and the present.

What do you

Do you want to see the

Where's my girl?

That's right.

Such a beautiful girl, isn't she?

You're such a pretty girl.

Sometimes I hold her like this.

Don't bite me, angel!

When I said I wanted to leave the program,

they offered me another settlement,

but I refused.

They asked me if I really wanted

to go back and I said yes.

Many people come and say:

"Look, this is such a lovely place.

I wish I had a place like this".

Then, you go to the city

and see the people on the streets.

So much unemployment.

Sometimes, I visit my mother

and her neighbors ask:

"Do you grow pumpkins and maxixe there?"

In the city, you have to buy everything

in the supermarket.

That's when you start thinking:

"No, I have some land to grow food".

Right, cutie pie?

This is where I sleep.

The door doesn't stay open.

It would be nice

to have a handsome man here.

Edit that out.

-There's hope, Fernando.

-What?

-There's hope.

-No.

Tell her: "Those days are over, girl".

-What do you mean?

-What? There's too much prejudice here.

The people here aren't used

to something like this.

Any comment makes them uneasy.

I make them uncomfortable,

so, I shut it down, you know?

Hey, Vargas! Are you bored over there?

You're dying to go home

to your internet and relax, right?

Air conditioner.

Mom's house.

-No, I'm good.

-What?

No, I'm cool. I like it here.

See?

But you get tired sometimes.

Too much of anything isn't good.

When you live in the city,

with the chaos and the crowds,

you look at this place and think:

"I'd love to live here".

Spend a week here.

You'll go berserk.

You'll be dying to leave.

-Seventeen years.

-Seventeen?

-Yes.

Where?

I lived for five years in Lago Sul,

near the bridge.

-What a fancy guy!

-No, I mean I grew up in the countryside.

But I spent some time in Braslia,

working in rich people's homes.

That's when I got married.

I met a teacher there,

he taught History and Philosophy.

I moved in with him.

We shared a house for three years.

Then I stopped living where I worked.

I still worked in different houses,

but I was living with him.

That's when I freed myself, you know?

A preliminary report

from the Legislative Assembly Committee

of Human Rights

indicates that there were executions

at the place.

According to surviving witnesses,

they were beaten,

they were assaulted

before they were actually k*lled.

So, there was t*rture.

Shot in the back,

shot in the back of the neck,

in the buttocks.

Shots to the heart.

Two shots to the heart.

And there's strong indications

that they were fired at close range.

I'm going to ask a few questions

about the events at Santa Lcia Farm.

Don't you find it unusual

to carry out arrest warrants

and end up with ten bodies?

It's unusual, sir.

What went wrong?

Your Honor, honestly, I don't know.

All I know is that it went wrong.

It's complicated.

-Do you recall how long it lasted?

-I can't really say.

-Were you met with g*nf*re?

-Yes, we were.

And did you fire back right away?

Yes, when we were met with g*nf*re,

we returned fire.

From the location you said

you've recovered the corpses,

how far was that?

-I don't know.

-And how long?

I don't know.

We put them in the vehicles, in the back.

Were they alive?

I

Apparently

-The ones I saw showed signs of life.

-What signs?

Signs of life, still breathing.

I don't have

the technical knowledge to attest

And did you help put

those people in the pickup?

I wasn't in a mental state to do that.

Who did that?

Did anyone in your team help?

I don't know exactly who helped,

but I believe someone must have helped.

The State Court of Par

granted the request

for temporary arrest

of all 13 police officers involved

in the deaths

of ten landless rural workers

at Santa Lcia farm, in Pau d'Arco.

Ioi!

-I!

-Do you like it?

-What?

-Do you like it?

-Looking beautiful, right?

-Yeah.

I was hoping it would.

-What's up?

-Did you get the eggs?

-Yeah, I got them.

-Let me see if you can take those.

Some have to stay in the nest.

We only take a few.

-The reddish ones?

-The red ones stay in the nest.

These stay in the nest.

Let me see the other one.

You can take that one.

Happy birthday to you

On this special day, many happy returns

I'll make a wish, let me think.

EVEN IF PEOPLE GET SILENT,

THE STONES WILL CLAIM JUSTICE!

Sound check. Testing.

One, two, three.

Sound check.

We'd like to invite everyone

to come closer.

We'll begin our meeting soon.

Good afternoon, everyone.

I'd say this is the hardest moment

for Santa Lcia since 2017.

Because they are about to enforce

the eviction order at Santa Lcia.

It's important that everyone attend

the hearing on the 25th,

because it's one thing

the judge reading on a piece of paper

that 200 families live here,

and another for him to look

each of you in the eye and say:

"You have to leave.

I am ordering you to vacate the land".

I understand the bus leaves early.

Tell them about the bus.

If we have to be there at 10 a.m.,

we have to leave at 8 a.m., right?

-They're calling.

-Let's go.

Let's go!

COURT OF JUSTICE

Working the close-up?

Yeah, I'm anxiously waiting.

We're trying to convince the judge

to rule against the eviction.

There's no point in resisting now.

Who'll resist against a police battalion?

That's not possible anymore.

We have to prove in court

that we must stay or leave.

We don't want another m*ssacre.

COURTROOM

This is the situation,

the judge has ordered

that you relocate to a temporary site,

so you can receive support

and avoid direct relocation.

From the farm,

you will move to the support base,

that would be the gym court.

I respectfully ask that you suspend

this order immediately

and conduct an inspection.

We cannot accept the enforcement

of an eviction order

of an area that has been

continuously occupied since 2015.

Since they are unable to pay

what the land is worth,

unfortunately, they must leave.

And they can't

Trucks will be made available

to take them to their place of origin

and transport their belongings

And we'll take you for 125 miles

I can't afford a strip of land.

I have no education, I can't read.

I can barely sign my own name.

Are we supposed to live in the streets?

That's not an option.

People who produce food

are treated like a piece of sh*t.

That's the truth.

Do you think it's fair to throw us out

after everything that's happened?

I still live and work there.

I'm all alone.

I face prejudice because of who I am,

but I don't let that stop me.

I work the land with my own hands.

I supply okra to the city of Pau D'Arco.

All I want is to work the land.

And that place is where I belong.

I didn't die there, but I almost did.

I bled on that land.

You understand?

I'm not accusing anyone, okay?

Who did that, if not the State?

And I want justice,

because I'm one of the victims.

The results will only come out at night.

What's up, dude?

What's up.

-Hey.

-Were you there?

You were great!

We're not giving up.

The judge granted the request.

The eviction order has been lifted.

A judicial inspection has been scheduled

at Santa Lcia Farm.

Today's victory does not mean

that we have won.

It's just been suspended.

We felt like we couldn't breathe.

Now we can breathe again

and think more clearly.

I'm closing this off.

It will be my bedroom.

It's going to be

my bang shack.

You know what's that?

-What's a bang shack?

-You need an explanation?

I'm not sure it's big enough.

It looks small.

I won't explain what a bang shack is.

Over there is a pond I built

to raise fish.

Did you see my cool pond?

If you see a dazzling glow on the camera,

don't worry, it's just me.

It's the glow of Fernando Santa Lcia.

I'll remove this fence

so I can run and jump in.

But I can't,

because I'll turn into a mermaid.

And getting me out would be a lot of work.

Right?

Maybe I'll build a decent house

if we get the land.

But I prefer the straw roof,

because it's cooler.

When I say a nice house, I mean safety.

I came back here really terrified.

How long have you been here?

I've been here since

October 31st last year.

When I left the protection program,

I was emotionally wrecked.

Because I could write letters,

but the program staff

had to read everything,

since I couldn't reveal where I was.

I couldn't talk to anyone.

I couldn't even say my name. Nothing.

That was slowly driving me crazy.

I said I wanted to leave,

because that was k*lling me.

I saw no light, only darkness.

Fernando helped me build my first shack.

I stayed at his place.

I had to sleep in a hammock

beside his bed.

He was used to life

outside the program, but I wasn't.

Man, wherever Fernando went,

I went with him.

When it rains, I get scared.

When the rain hits the straw roof,

it brings everything back.

Those disturbing images

of my friends screaming and dying.

And me running toward the forest.

Trying to find a way out,

but there wasn't any.

All the police officers accused

of k*lling ten landless workers

remain free.

JAIR BOLSONARO FOR PRESIDENBOLSONARO FOR PRESIDENThose leftist th*gs

-Come on in.

-Can I come in?

will be banished from our homeland.

Landless Movement th*gs!

Your actions will be classified

as terrorism!

You will no longer terrorize

rural communities!

We will win this w*r!

-Did he really win?

-He did.

What now?

What about the fairies?

He said he'll end that.

If it wasn't hard already, imagine now.

Now we'll have to carry a shotgun.

"What's up?"

You know? The guys will be afraid.

"Bolsonaro will k*ll us".

At least he'll legalize g*ns for everyone.

Save money to buy your own.

So they say, but I want a r*fle.

I don't want a tiny old g*n.

I planted ip trees from there

all the way over there.

Ip, ip, blackwood, redwood, ip,

blackwood, redwood, and there as well.

My hands are so dry.

-Can we show your hands?

-You're really trying, aren't you?

People watching will say: "Poor thing".

Check out my callous hands.

That's from mopping the floor

after a hot shower.

-Please.

-Right.

Am I right?

-Am I right?

-No way.

but I didn't have a piece of land.

You need something more in this life.

Something that makes you happy.

Because people judge you by what you have.

They look down on you.

But owning things means nothing.

You might be happier

if you don't have much.

You get used to living a life

surrounded by stuck-up people

who are rotten inside.

I've worked for rich people,

they're more troubled than the poor.

I worked for a farmer's wife.

My job was to cook and wash clothes.

I quit to come here.

I never told her I was here.

One day, I brought it up with her.

"Do you think those people

will ever get that land?"

She didn't know I was here.

And she said:

"Why? Are you with the landless movement?"

I said: "No, I'm just curious".

We were in her closet,

organizing her things.

I said: "No, I'm just curious."

She said: "Listen.

"You'd better quit if you're involved

with those landless workers.

If you end up dead,

don't say I didn't warn you".

I said: "My goodness!"

And she went: "I don't like the landless.

If my husband finds out, he'll fire you".

-Jane told me there were more people.

-Of course there were.

-Hired gunmen?

-Yes.

-The police came by on patrol?

-They did.

A boy saw them in the woods

in plain clothes,

as if they were hunting.

We were hidden in the woods

and they came after us,

back to back,

looking around with their r*fles.

The day the security guard was k*lled,

there were two pickup trucks.

Three or four men inside,

and four men on the truck bed.

They were gunmen.

What kind of film are you making?

A western?

-Relax, man.

-It might be a western.

-She's not comfortable with it.

-No. You're really brave, man.

-I'm impressed.

-That's right.

No, I fought for this.

Do you think it was easy?

I fought and bled for this land.

So, Vargas, before the m*ssacre,

a farm security guard was k*lled,

and that was used

to justify all that violence.

What was happening

in the lead-up to the m*ssacre?

The landless workers were trying

to reoccupy the farm,

but the private guards

were attacking the camp.

So, they camped in the forest.

When the two groups crossed paths,

there was conflict.

When we find out that

the landless workers also had weapons,

it feels that they were

really waging a w*r.

Workers on one side with g*ns,

and on the other

But the workers had hunting r*fles,

weapons completely unfit

to sustain confrontation,

especially against a police force

or a security company

carrying as*ault r*fles.

The land reform won't be achieved

by handing out flowers.

Why? Because it's a w*r,

and like any w*r, it's asymmetrical.

The ranchers have heavy weaponry,

they have gunmen,

private security companies,

the police on their side,

which is the State.

Because of the m*ssacre,

Santa Lcia has symbolic value

for the struggle for land.

I think that enforcing an eviction there

is completely unreasonable.

-Hello, Mr. Vargas.

-How are you?

Santa Lcia qualifies for expropriation.

I always say the process

is now in our hands.

All we have to do is keep things

from falling apart,

we only have to keep it from going wrong.

We have to do our part.

We need to be on the same page.

If we do our part well

The judge's part is not up to us.

The only shared interest

is the struggle for the land.

I'm in this for Jane,

it's a matter of honor.

Manoel wants

to build a cassava flour mill.

Joel wants to start a dairy farm.

My plan is to open a small grocery store.

My brother started a business

from nothing,

and now he's doing well.

What they want is to

The state sold the land title,

ignoring their existence

and they were evicted.

When do we want land reform?

Now!

Do you know what day is today?

It's Amazon Day.

-Is it?

-Like

There's a sale?

A sale?

No, the Amazon rainforest,

not the website.

There's a Bolsonaro rally. It's insane.

For f*ck's sake.

FIGHT BACK

The eviction was suspended,

because of COVID.

PAU D'ARCO m*ssacre NEVER AGAIN!

Jane Jlia lives on!

It's inconceivable

that the State marches in,

kills ten people and give us no answers.

They won't even tell us

if there's an investigation.

I want to say to those

who carried out this m*ssacre,

when you get home

after an exhausting day of work,

and for a moment you wonder

if life can't be more than this,

don't fool yourselves.

Your life is exactly that.

You are empty and hollow, you are scum.

This is my dad.

This is my cousin, and this is our

Your life doesn't matter to them.

If you don't stand together

and open your eyes,

you will die the same way

the ten workers of Pau d'Arco were k*lled.

So, I've set up this little bar,

this little market.

It's going well, I thought

I was afraid to open,

not knowing what could happen.

Because every day brings

a different surprise.

Can I get a shot?

That's the problem.

I was telling you about the lawsuits.

It's going to take a long time, right?

The one about the police officers

won't be concluded in 2021.

Let's have a tournament, five for each.

All right!

One, two, three.

Nice, good one!

I'm the champion.

The big champion.

That's because

I was the Brazilian champion.

-And the South American champion.

-Of course.

-Daddy always wins.

-Nice, Daddy.

So, don't let it discourage you.

I'm sure that's a real tournament.

I recall this game we used to play

and a friend got hurt.

We'd build a bonfire and jump over it.

-But he fell into the fire.

-Jesus!

-You used to do that?

-No, I was scared.

I'm kidding. Yeah, I did.

-But it's not a sensible game.

-But how did you do it?

You had no sense at all.

I knew it was dangerous,

but I thought I had it under control.

This is case number 401-92 of 2020.

We're beginning this hearing to determine

the conditions in which

the arrest warrant was ex*cuted.

ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 1, 2021,

POLICE OFFICERS TAKE VARGAS FROM HIS HOME.

Your full name, sir.

Jos Vargas Sobrinho Jnior.

-Are you handcuffed?

-No.

You're not.

HE IS CHARGED WITH m*rder.

An investigation so fundamentally flawed

For God's sake, this is very serious!

I had just started tidying up the house.

Beatriz said:

"Dad, there are people outside".

So, he went to the gate

to see who was there.

FERNANDA

VARGAS' WIFE

That's when they came into the house.

I was in my nightgown,

the girls were in their panties.

There were many officers.

I don't know how many.

The house was turned upside down.

I had never seen him so nervous.

He was shaking so much.

He asked to read the case file.

Then he started reading

When he got to his name,

at the very end of the file,

he said: "I can't believe this.

Some stupid thing I said.

I don't believe this".

He kept doing

He kept touching his face.

He does that when he's nervous.

He became desperate

when he saw the reason for the charge.

He read the transcript

of something he had said.

They had some audio messages

he had supposedly sent.

And I said: "I can't believe this."

Hi. So, It's a pretty strange story.

She says the whole thing revolves

around a WhatsApp audio message.

But it's suspicious,

because the victim, Cicero,

was a client of one of Vargas' colleagues,

in a case that has nothing to do

with land reform,

nothing to do with the farm

or the officers in the m*ssacre.

Anyway, I need to look into it,

and I'll keep you updated.

ANA

JOURNALISVargas' case seems quite confusing.

I'd like to ask you

to explain what happened.

What the police have against Vargas?

He was never a suspect in this crime

during the investigative phase.

MARCELO MENDANHA

VARGAS' LAWYER

His name only came up

after the police accessed

the full contents of a colleague's phone.

The police took it out of context,

and omitted other parts

that would have cleared him.

From that, they launched

the entire criminal case against him.

Anyone who listens to the audio

can tell he's being ironic.

It was said jokingly,

in a playful, ironic tone.

He even laughs while he speaks.

But the police chose to interpret it

as a confession.

Yeah, tomorrow,

when Marcelo Borges looks at it

Bang! 270.

That's when I'll tell him:

"It's the first of many.

There will be many more

in the coming years.

But since we don't want

to cause you trouble,

we made Cicero disappear to sort it out".

The police use that audio

to claim he confessed,

when he says:

"We made Cicero disappear

to sort it out easily".

So, they isolated that excerpt

and said: "Here's the confession".

But look at his colleague's reaction.

Three consecutive messages of laughter.

I can confidently say

the police presented

no other evidence or proof

that Vargas was involved in this crime.

So, that was it.

That's the only evidence

against Vargas in this case.

And now I've learned

that the same prosecutor

who ordered Vargas's arrest

has also worked on the m*ssacre case.

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE

STATE OF PAR

LEONARDO CALDAS

PROSECUTOR

Vargas has accused the police

for the Pau d'Arco m*ssacre.

And international human rights

organizations are concerned

about his current arrest,

and see it as possible retaliation

against a lawyer

who is challenging the system.

How do you respond to their concerns?

As I said before,

their concerns are unjustified,

because these are entirely

independent facts.

Completely different.

Mr. Vargas' arrest stems

from an incident that occurred now,

in 2020.

It is based on evidence obtained

during an investigation

from another suspect's phone.

You've mentioned the audio message.

Is that the only evidence

against Vargas in this case?

Stop the recording.

Are you trying to link

one case to the other?

-Is there

-To Pau d'Arco?

I'm not going to comment on Cicero's case.

I won't comment.

Now, the police officers

who k*lled the rural workers

Don't they pose a risk to society?

Why are they free?

Several appeals were filed at the time,

but they were denied.

We had reached a point

where nothing else could be done.

-Did you hear about Vargas?

-I did.

Heavy things are coming our way.

Look what's happening.

Vargas was arrested and charged.

A mysterious helicopter flying above us.

-I heard things.

-You said we should leave.

Mark my words, serious consequences

are coming for the people who live here.

Can you tell me what you've heard?

One of those dismissed officers

He said they were thinking

about coming here to make sure

there is no witness.

That they were going to get rid

of the witnesses for good.

Here in the farm.

He told us to be very careful,

because they were discussing that.

That they'd get rid of the witness

before the trial.

And that without a witness,

there is no trial.

He lost a lot of weight.

I told him to eat,

to take care of himself.

Did he ask about the girls?

-He did.

-What did you say?

He asked if they knew what was going on.

I told him about Iolanda's notebook.

He was eager to read the letters.

In one of Dad's letters,

he wrote a sentence:

"To be free is to be brave".

"Dear Dad,

I want you to know that I understand

what really happened to you.

But I know it's all a lie

and that you did nothing wrong".

This is the prison.

This is Dad, this is Mommy,

this is me and this is I.

Come on, son.

Go ahead.

Come over here, people.

-You can make this

-Is that him?

Come on, son.

Send him out.

Glory to God!

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

I missed you.

AFTER 25 DAYS IN CUSTODY,

VARGAS IS PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST.

TO BE FREE IS TO BE BRAVE

Come here, I.

Ana, it's not that I'm camera-shy.

I just think it looks bad.

The image is shaky.

Today is April 22, 2021.

July 20.

September 20.

I've bled so much

I've cried like a dog

Last year I died

But this year I won't

I'm emotionally exhausted.

And people tell me:

"Stop amplifying this.

Let the dust settle.

When this is all over,

go away or they'll k*ll you".

I can't.

We planted all these ip trees

when you were just a baby.

They're younger than you.

And we built this house.

And soon we may be forced to leave it.

No, we won't leave.

I think I've been a bit sad this week.

Because I think

that when this is all over,

we'll have to leave.

Go on, out.

Hey, how's it going?

I'm at the farm, I sold the place.

I'm leaving tomorrow for Redeno.

Hey, Fernando. What happened?

Did you decide to leave

because of the threats you've received?

Yes, exactly.

I've been living on the edge.

I've been anxious and worried,

so it's better if I go away.

HOURS AFTER SENDING THAT MESSAGE,

FERNANDO IS ex*cuted

WITH A SHOT TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD.

They k*lled another brother

They k*lled another brother

They k*lled another brother

They k*lled another brother

But he will rise again

Rise again

And the people won't forget

They won't forget...

Fernando dos Santos Arajo!

Present, present, present!

Sometimes I wonder

if any of this makes sense.

If I'm not causing

more problems than I can solve.

If I weren't a lawyer

maybe Jane wouldn't have died.

Maybe Fernando wouldn't have come back

and died too.

Maybe my daughters

wouldn't be going through this.

We believe he came through here.

Fernando was tending to the chickens

right here.

And he was shot over there.

You can see

the b*llet holes here.

That's six shots, right?

-Six!

-That's right.

Here's one, two, three,

four, five, six, seven.

Seven b*llet holes.

This is the cap he was using

with a b*llet hole.

He wore it backwards.

The b*llet entered here and exited here.

The b*llet hit his hat,

he fell right here.

Face down.

He was taking these chickens

to put them in there.

Dad, I'm scared!

I had a dream,

I woke up and thought: "damn".

I was being tortured.

If something is going to happen

I hope they k*ll me quickly.

I've never received so many threats.

It makes me wonder

if this isn't a coordinated action.

They're death threat towards me,

threats to harm my family,

threats to escalate

the charges against me.

If I die in an apparent suicide,

it will be their doing.

If I die during a supposed robbery,

it will be their doing.

I asked the girls to go somewhere else,

but they refuse.

They'll sleep at my mom's tonight.

I wish Fernanda went with them.

It's horrible not being able

to leave the house.

And to fear that something might happen,

especially to the girls.

Good afternoon, this is Ana Aranha.

I'm a journalist.

I'm calling to clarify some details

about Fernando's death at Santa Lcia.

Who gave you my number?

I can't share any information.

The police chief hasn't authorized it.

WITNESS RECEIVED THREATS

BEFORE BEING m*rder*d

I tried to speak with Mr. Ualame,

but he said he was in a meeting

and told me to talk to you.

He's in another meeting

and it will take some time.

It's not just this case,

but its connection

with the Pau d'Arco m*ssacre.

It's about some sensitive information

m*ssacre VICTIMS' LAWYER

ARRESTED OVER A JOKE

We suspect

that he may be facing retaliation

because of his work

on the Pau d'Arco m*ssacre process.

POLICE WITHHELD EVIDENCE

THAT CLEARS SURVIVORS' LAWYER

THEY m*rder*d FERNANDO

How did the justice system respond

to the Pau d'Arco m*ssacre?

With a shot to the back of the head,

they silenced him.

They m*rder*d Fernando.

OFFICERS LAUGHED AND SHOUTED

"WE'RE OUT TO k*ll YOU ALL"

Nearly four years ago,

one of the largest massacres

of rural workers left ten dead.

One of the survivors,

Fernando dos Santos Arajo,

was the key witness in the case.

But at the end of January,

he was m*rder*d too.

In audio messages and in an interview

just days before his death,

Fernando said

he had been receiving threats

from the police officers involved

in the 2017 m*ssacre.

He called me and said:

"Did you hear that the guys

want to come and see you?"

I asked what he meant.

He said: "The police officers".

He was very afraid.

He said he had been receiving messages

from the officers

who carried out the m*ssacre.

I'd like to begin by emphasizing

that we recently compiled

some material from Fernando

where he gives information

we believe would be crucial to you,

since you're leading the investigation.

ANTONIO MOROR

POLICE CHIEF

Have you taken any statements

from people involved in the m*ssacre

as part of the investigation?

No, because this is

our investigation strategy, ok?

So, we handed over to the chief

the video of Fernando talking

about the threats.

Now it's official.

It's in the authorities' hands.

Let's see what they'll do.

LAW FIRM

I came to hear your response to all this.

What do the officers have to say?

Have they threatened Fernando?

Are they involved in his m*rder?

Look

ATTORNEY FOR THE POLICE OFFICERS

CHARGED IN THE m*ssacre CASE

Not only the defense, but any

I already told you this.

Any reasonable man

would never, even for a second,

if he has an average brain,

reach that conclusion.

How would the police officers

ever threaten Fernando, my God?

That's an outlandish claim.

How can the media spread that?

It wasn't just Fernando.

Other witnesses reported threats too,

so much so that they all fled in fear.

That's not true.

It's not true.

It's not true, I'm spelling it out to you.

Absolutely not.

The officers had no reason to do that.

What's happening,

and I'll repeat it to you,

is that the groups in the area

are k*lling each other.

It's a dog-eat-dog area.

There were no rural workers there.

There were only criminals.

They were career criminals.

Vargas!

-The fire burned everything.

-It did.

I truly believed we would achieve

some kind of justice.

The moment I handed over the record

of the threats he was receiving

to the chief investigating the case,

I genuinely believed

that we would get some justice

in the m*ssacre investigation.

Fernando provided the names

of the officers and details

that could help identify

the people that were threatening him.

We managed to get it published

in newspapers, on television

and even abroad.

Still, they didn't even mention

the evidence we handed over.

I was shocked.

But do you see this as a defeat?

-Of course.

-I see it as a victory.

To me, it confirms

that this is the line they're taking.

A poorly conducted investigation

is the classic police strategy

to cover something up.

So, if there's no connection,

they'd show that there's no connection.

-Right.

-We're going to keep pushing.

We're going to keep making noise.

We'll keep demanding answers.

What can change a jury's perception?

The testimonies.

Fernando's death

has a major impact on the jury,

because Fernando was outspoken.

Fernando witnessed it firsthand.

Fernando had all the details.

So, what happens to the jury now,

possibly without other witnesses?

The other survivors are now saying

they don't want to testify.

They're afraid to speak up.

I woke up in the morning

and the phone rang.

It was a friend of mine.

She was calling to tell me

they had k*lled Fernando.

When she said that,

I felt the ground crumbling.

I just ran away.

My mom and my family came,

collected all my things

and I had to go away.

I'm still alive,

but this isn't really living.

This is no way to live.

Having to hide

and being unable to say who you are.

I hope they don't call me

to testify against them.

I won't go.

All I want is peace.

Let them live their lives,

and let God's justice be done.

Because I know Earthly justice

will never reach them.

Is there a timeline

for the officers' trial?

No, and I don't think it will happen

in the next five years.

Damn.

We will keep demanding answers

and keep pressing.

But do you see any chance

that this will result in real justice?

What's real justice?

I don't know, it depends.

This is how I see it.

Is it over? I don't think it's over yet.

We can't accept that things end

the way they want them to.

As long as we don't let it end,

they won't have peace.

You see?

I think that's the point.

You can't let it end and just accept it.

-It's not over.

-Not at all.

AFTER ONE YEAR,

VARGAS' HOUSE ARREST IS LIFTED,

AND VARGAS IS FREE

TO LEAVE HIS FAMILY HOME.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Good afternoon.

First, I want to thank everyone

for being here on a Sunday.

Second, I want to apologize.

Today marks exactly 14 months

since our last meeting.

People thought I wouldn't come back.

They said I had left for good.

No, I'm here.

And if they did that to me

hoping that it would somehow stop me

from fighting for the land reform,

then it backfired badly,

because I'm ten times

more motivated than before.

And if they did this

to make me stop practicing law,

they'll have to k*ll me.

But if they do k*ll me,

ten more will rise.

Twenty, thirty, forty.

You know it hasn't been easy,

it's been a real struggle.

We came together

and we will get this land.

I don't know how, but we will.

AFTER THE FILMING ENDED,

THE CHARGES AGAINST VARGAS WERE DROPPED.

HE REMAINS IN THE AMAZON,

ADVOCATING FOR LANDLESS WORKERS.

ONE MAN WAS ARRESTED

AND CONVICTED FOR FERNANDO'S m*rder.

THE INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED

IT WAS A ROBBERY,

BUT NOTHING WAS TAKEN.

AFRAID, THE OTHER m*ssacre SURVIVORS

LEFT THE SETTLEMENT.

SO FAR, THEY HAVE RECEIVED

NO COMPENSATION FROM THE STATE.

THE OFFICERS CHARGED IN THE m*ssacre

REMAIN FREE AND ON ACTIVE DUTY.

THERE IS NO DATE SET FOR THE TRIAL YET.

JANE JLIA REVOLUTIONARY AREA

AND SETTLEMENIN 2025, THE GOVERNMENBEGAN LEGALIZING THE SETTLEMENT.

UNTIL THE PROCESS IS COMPLETE,

THE COURTS MAY ORDER EVICTION.

THE WORKERS CONTINUE FARMING THE LAND.

Sugarcane!

-Just for today!

-Rice!

We have it all!

PAU D'ARCO m*ssacre NEVER AGAIN!

Rice!

We have rice, and this huge papaya!

We grow them.

It's from Santa Lcia!

Very cheap over here!

DEDICATED TO FERNANDO DOS SANTOS ARAJO

When I die, let them bury me

On the edge of the great plateau

Content with the land I've claimed

Weary from so many battles

Yet grown strong in my heart...