Antonio Inacio Faria and Luis Rodrigues dos Santos have not been seen since 9 February 1993, the eve of a meeting between local rural union representatives and a group of peasants who had been occupying land in the Mata Azul Estate. The Mata Azul estate is an area of intense land disputes between peasants and landowners, frequently involving violence. Peasants who went to look for the two men were allegedly shot at by police stationed near Luis Rodrigues dos Santos’ hut. The military police have opened an internal inquiry into the “disappearances” but local human rights groups claim that the inquiry has so far not been properly conducted.
