LatinNews Daily Report - 04 February 2014

SECURITY| Violence continues to hit central rural areas. On 3 February Paraguay’s peasant farmers’ organisation, Federación Nacional Campesina (FNC), demanded that the authorities investigate the murder of Nery Benítez Galeano, shot dead in Luz Bella, San Pedro department, a day earlier. The FNC claims the murder bears all the hallmarks of a planned assassination and suggests that this was ordered by local landowners. Tensions between peasant farmers and large landowners have flared up in San Pedro and Canindeyú departments recently, after peasant farmers tried to stop producers from planting their fields. According to the FNC, such actions were taken to bring attention to the fact that the widespread use of pesticides by soya producers is causing health problems to the local population. Benítez took part in the latest protests and the FNC suggests that he may have been targeted because of this Local investigators are dismissive of this, instead suggesting that the incident was ‘a settling of scores’ between neighbours. Nevertheless, the public ministry has expressed concern over the rising level of violence in the area. Yesterday another peasant famer, Guido Lorenzo Soto, was shot dead outside his home in San Estanislao, San Pedro. In a bid to ease some of the tensions, Agriculture Minister Jorge Gattini offered to meet FNC representatives today (4 February) to discuss any “irregular” use of pesticides by soya producers.

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