Turmalina Paraíba Case: analysis of legal developments and Human Rights violations.

• Autor(a) principal: FEITOSA, Maria Luiza Pereira de Alencar Mayer.
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: GABÍNIO, Adriana de Medeiros., VASCONCELOS FILHO, Antônio Alves de., DAMASCENDO, Gilmara Benevides Costa Soares., SILVA, José Irivaldo Alves Oliveira., MIRANDA, Igor Caio Alves de., COSTA NETO, Juvêncio Almeida., ASSIS, Luciana Vilar., LIMA, Ylana Zálife de Farias.
• Tipo de documento: Capítulo de livro
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UFCG
• Texto Completo: http://dspace.sti.ufcg.edu.br:8080/jspui/handle/riufcg/29443
• topic: Turmalina Paraíba; Violação de Direitos Humanos; Direitos Humanos; Operação Sete Chaves - Ministério Público Federal - Paraíba; Caso das Pedras Turmalinas - PB; Mineração - Pedras Turmalinas - PB; Mineração ilegal - Paraíba; Paraiba Tourmaline; Violation of Human Rights; Human rights; Operation Seven Keys - Federal Public Ministry - Paraíba; Case of Tourmaline Stones - PB; Mining - Tourmaline Stones - PB; Illegal mining - Paraíba; Tourmaline Paraïba; Violation des droits de l'homme; Droits humains; Opération Sept Clés - Ministère Public Fédéral - Paraíba; Coffret de Pierres Tourmalines - PB; Exploitation minière - Pierres de tourmaline - PB; Exploitation minière illégale - Paraíba; Turmalina Paraíba; Violación de los Derechos Humanos; Derechos humanos; Operación Siete Llaves - Ministerio Público Federal - Paraíba; Estuche de Piedras Turmalina - PB; Minería - Turmalina Piedras - PB; Minería ilegal - Paraíba; Direitos Humanos.

The PPGCJ-UFPB team chose to study the case known as Turmalina Paraíba (paraiba tourmaline), a rare gemstone discovered in the State of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil, an area of semi-arid climate, very poor, located in the region of Seridó Ocidental Paraibano, 316 km from the city of João Pessoa, the state’s capital. The case is about the police investigation and court inquiry looking into wrongdoings committed in the illegal mining of this mineral. Paraiba is a rare bluish green variety of tourmaline and highly coveted in the international jewelry market, especially after having been deemed extremely scarce by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). As a result, its prices have climbed rapidly. Today, the so-called “paraiba tourmaline,” named after the Brazilian state where it was found, is fashioned for select wealthy customers by jewelers operating in Brazil, such as Amsterdam Sauer and H. Stern, and abroad, like Dior and Tifany & Co. UK. Considered an exotic product, the gem’s carat (0.2 grams) is estimated to be worth USD 30,000 on average but may reach USD 100,000 depending on the stone’s features, according to an information iled by the Federal Prosecution Oice (MPF, in Portuguese). In 2014 and along with the Brazilian Federal Police, the MPF launched a probe they called Operação Sete Chaves, Police Investigation no. 0000451-81.2014.04.05.8205, to look into environmental crimes reported as substantive joinder of offenses; illegal mining operations reported as formal joinder of ofenses; and money laundering, all of them repeated crimes. The information – no. 0800142-85.2018.4.05.8205 – is being processed by the 14th Federal Court of the Paraíba Federal Court System (JFPB). The conspiracy involves cases of illegal gemstone trade, bank accounts used for money laundering, tax fraud on the export of goods, and other wrongdoings. This mineral’s mining conditions and the entire network of ofenses surrounding it point to human rights violations that encompass environmental crimes in an area acutely afected by droughts and leading to severe social impacts; labor law violations, such as illegal mining using forced labor, while giving nothing back to society from the wealth extracted from the ground, and workers exploited under extreme heat for working days lasting 12 hours or more in 80 meter deep pits; crimes against the human right to development, including tax and customs duty fraud, and others.