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    Slave labor charges filed against Brazil senator

    BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A Brazilian senator who allegedly kept workers in slave-like conditions will be tried by the country's Supreme Court.

    The high court said on its website Friday that it will rule on the charges filed by the federal attorney general against Senator Joao Ribeiro, who allegedly kept more than 30 workers in miserable conditions on his ranch in the Amazon jungle state of Para.

    As a senator, Ribeiro can only be tried by Brazil's highest court.

    In 2004, Labor Ministry inspectors found 35 workers on Ribeiro's ranch working 78 hours a week with no medical assistance, no days off and living in "subhuman" conditions.

    The inspectors found that the workers racked up debts to the ranch for the food and equipment it sold to them. The owed money was deducted from their wages.

    The workers ended up permanently indebted and unable to leave the ranch and return to their homes.

    The senator has said the workers were never stopped from leaving his property.

    Slave-like working conditions are common in many parts of Brazil where poor laborers often are lured into arduous jobs where they rack up debts to plantation and factory owners who charge exorbitant prices for everything from food to transportation.

    The court has not set a date to begin hearing the case against the senator.

     

    23 comments

    • Robert F  •  Bossier City, Louisiana  •  3 mths ago
      the guy should be made to pay them every last dime he has and then become their slave until he pays off everything he owes them
    • mitchel  •  Fortaleza, Brazil  •  3 mths ago
      the real Brasil
    • robert  •  3 mths ago
      Sounds exactly how the American business United Fruit Company, now known as Chiquita, treated it's employees in Central America (Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala) through the middle of the 20th century.
      • Marcos 3 mths ago
        still going on in Morgan City, La with illegals from Mexico.
    • Robert Parker  •  3 mths ago
      so what, our credit card companies do the same thing.
    • Marcos  •  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  •  3 mths ago
      Brazil's criminal law is stupid.
      One set of laws for the peasants another for the ruling class.
      BTW the criminal justice system is notoriously corrupt I know from experience.
      • Confushis 3 mths ago
        Ah! Sounds like America -- Only place thats safe is Russia and China
    • Archie  •  3 mths ago
      Well this is obviously Bushs' fault.
      • jack33 3 mths ago
        can u name a single good thing that BUSH did for USA?
      • David 3 mths ago
        Yes he went back to Texas!
      • Gerald 3 mths ago
        Can anyone name one thing obama has done for this country.
    • cheezewhiz  •  3 mths ago
      Like China, Brazil is on it's way to becoming a major economic entity this way.
      It worked here in the US and many parts of the weirld.
      • Jew-el 3 mths ago
        weirld?
      • David 3 mths ago
        Weirld=Strange Planet
    • Harry  •  San Jose De Guaymas, Mexico  •  3 mths ago
      WMD. You must be the Senators brother-in-law. Unfortunately, this is all too common all over Latin America.
    • Old Gringo  •  St Petersburg, Florida  •  2 mths ago
      I guess there are certain limitations to the socialist heaven Lulu created.
    • Steve  •  3 mths ago
      This is what the big mining operations did to the miners all over this country as recently as the early 1900s; esp. WV.
      • les 3 mths ago
        Until they unionized.
    • Youssef  •  San Jose, Costa Rica  •  3 mths ago
      Slavery is not abolished by the Rich People and the crooked powerful people .
    • Capitalism Sucks!  •  3 mths ago
      I've lived in Brazil. This problem is very common in Brazil. Brazil has lots of wealth, but most of it is in the hands of very few people. Classic capitalist country.
    • Gary Freedom  •  3 mths ago
      Sounds like what the republicans are doing to the middle class.
    • Adrian  •  New York, New York  •  3 mths ago
      Brazil has the most corrupt government on earth. They have, for many generations, found a way to keep the population "happy" and "busy" by promoting the carnaval and many others popular celebrations. There are pre-carnaval block parties all over every weekend after Christmas and that does not stop unitl ash Wednesday. After that the'll go back to dance on the street to celebrate another holiday and after that another one. The general population are too brain washed and has no idea, or simply don't care, that while they dance their behinds off in clubs and on the streets, the big guys in the government are emptying the country's coffers and laundering their tax money overseas. Guess who's buying most of the waterfront mansions in Miami and the penthouse apartments in NYC now? The poor Brazilians are so happy when they receive their monthly "food basket", a cheap consolation prize for letting the big guys loot the country.
      In addition, believe or not, all the elected officials have parliamentary immunity so basically there's no crime and punishment, just crimes. When one of them is caught stealing billions, and I really mean billions, he or she gets a slap on the hand and that's it.
      For a country that wants to be respected and considers itself a superpower it has a long way to go.
    • I.J.  •  Lincoln, Nebraska  •  3 mths ago
      I am reminded of the Slave Laborers and Prison Laborers being used by Corporate America not just in China or Mexico but on American Soil and Politicians, Judges, Law Enforcement, Governors and State Legislators who are profiting.
    • The Doctor  •  Austin, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      Coming soon to America thanks to GOP policies.
    • Confushis  •  Highlands Ranch, Colorado  •  3 mths ago
      So that's Why Obumer likes Hugo SOOOOOO much --
    • Nick  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      So when is it slave labor and when is it outsourcing?
    • mikec  •  3 mths ago
      Isn't this the country obama loaned money/gave millons or billions of tax payer dollars to so they could drill for oil in the gulf...
    • feb  •  Sparks, Nevada  •  3 mths ago
      Blowbama just awarded a conttract to Brazil to make light attack aircraft. Slave labor. Blowbama needs removed from office.
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