Event Summary
A violent police eviction of 230 peasant families was carried out in the first week of June 2025, in Maracaná, Department of Canindeyú in the east of the country. In order to monitor the situation and verify the situation of families subject to eviction, the municipal mayor José Cantero was on site, accompanied by officials from the Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (CODENI), and as covered by the press. A few days later, the Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered his arrest, accusing him of serious coercion, apology for crime and obstruction of criminal prosecution.
Various citizens’ organisations in the district of Maracaná demonstrated the arrest of the municipal mayor ordered by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. It was reported in the media that the mayor, who is not part of the ruling party, had been at the site of the operation at the request of the Ministry of the Interior itself. Mayor Cantero indicated that it was his obligation to take cognizance of the situation of the people affected, as well as the private lands that are object of an expropriation project that has been in Congress without resolution since 2023. Civil associations mobilised to accompany Mayor Cantero in his appearance before the judge, who finally ordered his release on bail.
While forced eviction have been a recurrent incident in rural areas, the repression faced by an elected official who accompanied the monitoring of police operations, including actions ordered by the Public Prosecutor’s office, is highly unusual. The accusations lodged against the municipal mayor in response to his presence in the area contribute to the increasing criminalisation of expressions of social demands and civic demonstrations. This form of repression thus negatively affects the relationship between civil society and public representatives, threatening channels of dialogue and accompaniment.”