129. On December 21, 1988, the Comissão Pastoral da Terra and the diocese of Conceição de Araguaia, together with José Teodoro da Silva and Miguel Ferreira da Cruz, respectively father and brother of lron Canuto da Silva, aged 17, and Luis Ferreira da Cruz, aged 16, filed a report before the Federal Police concerning the practice of slave labor in Hacienda Brasil Verde, and the disappearance of the two young men.106 130. According to this report, in August 1988, lron Canuto and Luis Ferreira da Cruz had been taken from Arapoema by a gato to work in Hacienda Brasil Verde for 60 days. The report also indicated that, when they tried to leave the hacienda, the adolescents had been forcibly returned, threatened and, subsequently, had disappeared. Therefore, the family was concerned about them.107 131. On the same date, Adailton Martins dos Reis, a worker who had escaped from Hacienda Brasil Verde, reported the following: I worked in the hacienda for 30 days; the [gato] promised me many things there and I took with me all the tools for the work. When we arrived, his promises turned out to be false. [I was] clearing “juquira,”108 living in a tent full of water; my wife had recently been operated on, my children became ill, it was really bad. I needed to buy two bottles of medicine and [they charged] me Cz$3,000,00. When I left the hacienda, I went to pay the bill and I owed Cz$21,500 and had to sell a hammock, a blanket, two machetes, two pots, plates, two spoons and I still owed Cz$16,800 and I left owing this. […] During all this time, I was not paid any money. […] When I wanted to leave, he did not place any conditions; I spent the whole morning in the rain, because the manager, Nelson, left us by the roadside in the rain, with [my] wife and children ill. In the hacienda we were very hungry, and the workers lived in very degrading conditions. I often saw him promising to shoot the workers. And the situation continues; the workers want to leave peacefully; they need to go. Recently seven of them escaped, but without money.109 132. On December 27, 1988, Maria Madalena Vindoura dos Santos, a resident of Arapoema, reported a similar situation involving her husband, José Soriano da Costa.110 133. On January 25, 1989, the Comissão Pastoral da Terra sent a letter to the Office of the Ombudsman in Brasilia, forwarding reports of slave labor in Haciendas Brasil Verde and Belauto. The Comissão indicated that it had already filed a report concerning Hacienda Brasil Verde on December 21, 1988, and suggested that the need to inspect the two haciendas had increased, because it was not the first time they were reported for practicing slave labor.111 The 1989 visit to Hacienda Brasil Verde 134. On February 20, 1989, the Federal Police visited Hacienda Brasil Verde.112 The February 24 report on the visit indicated that: (i) the recruitment of workers for the hacienda was consistently carried out by gatos; (ii) four gatos who worked in the hacienda had been identified; (iii) one of the gatos had fled on becoming aware that the Federal Police were in 106 Report filed with the Federal Police on December 21, 1988 (evidence file, folio 7428). 107 Report filed with the Federal Police on December 21, 1988 (evidence file, folio 7428). 108 Dense vegetation that grows on the cropland and must be cleared before planting a new crop. 109 Statement by Adailton Martins dos Reis of December 21, 1988 (evidence file, folio 558). 110 Statement by Maria Madalena Vindoura dos Santos of December 27, 1988 (evidence file, folio 7432). 111 Report of January 25, 1989, filed with the Office of the Ombudsman in Brasilia (evidence file, folio 7434). 112 Mission order No. 018/89 of February 9, 1989 (evidence file, folio 7436). 32