Letter to Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Sentencing of Fr. Jentel, July 26, 1973

July 26, 1973

Dr. Luis Reque
Executive Secretary
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Organization American States
Washington, D.C. 20006

Dear Dr. Reque:

On Monday, Hay 28, 1973, Father Francois Jentel, the priest of the parish of Santa Terezinha, prelature of Sao Felix in the State of Matto Grosso, was sentenced to ten years in prison on patently false charges of subversion.

Father Jentel's superior, Bishop Pedro Casadaliga and several other co-workers were also briefly arrested in July, some were beaten, their papers, including the official files and archives of the diocese, were illegally searched, and other violations of their rights committed against them.

The National Conference of Brazilian Bishops has protested these events to the authorities and has instituted legal proceedings to appeal the conviction and sentencing of Father Jentel.

From all information presently available we are forced to consider these acts against Father Jentel, Bishop Casadaliga and the others to be clear violations of their human rights.

We respectfully ask the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to include these matters with others previously submitted in case 1684.

Sincerely,

Rev. Frederick A. McGuire, C.M.
Director

Encls. -- attached list

1973-07-26-ltr-brazil-inter-american-human-rights-jentel-2.pdf