Draft:The Kingdom of Pineal

The Kingdom of Pineal is a self-proclaimed independent state in the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal. Founded by Água Akbal Zizi Pinheiro, formerly known as Martin Junior Kenny, its independence is not recognized by Portuguese authorities, but it legally constitutes the private organization known as the "Pineal Foundation" and is often described as a religious/spiritual sect. The name derives from the pineal gland, associated with human conscious perception.

History

Água Akbal Zizi Pinheiro, born in Zimbabwe with the name Martin Junior Kenny, emigrated to the United Kingdom at the age of 20 with the dream of becoming a master chef. However, at age 36, he had a “profound spiritual experience” that led him to change his identity to Água Akbal Zizi Pinheiro, a “spiritual philosopher” aiming to “restore, protect and preserve organic, natural ways of life.” , spiritual, cultural and indigenous”

In 2019, Agua Akbal Zizi Pinheiro and his family emigrated to Portugal and, together with 40 other people from 8 different countries, established the community on land purchased by Danish-Ugandan football player Pione Sisto, which would become the Kingdom of Pineal.

Eventually, the land became home to vegetable gardens, food forests, greenhouses and other structures associated with land conservation. Currently, the community has 13 residents, including several children. The sect gained notoriety when it became public that the community educated their children at home, practiced home birth and homeopathic medicine. His unconventional approach to medical care created a public controversy following the unfortunate death of one of Água Akbal Zizi Pinheiro's children, named Samsara Akbal Pinheiro, who passed away during the coronavirus pandemic. The controversy surrounding baby Samsara's death was highlighted by the fact that he did not receive any official conventional medical care, due to the community rejecting allopathic medicines in accordance with their spiritual convictions.

Furthermore, Samsara's birth and death were not registered at the Civil Registry Office, and the community claimed that they had the right to register births and deaths within their community without state intervention.

The community's beliefs led to further concerns about the health and safety of the other 5 babies and 2 children who were not registered or vaccinated by the State and who lived in the community at the time.

The community defends its actions by claiming that it has the right to self-determination under the protection of “natural law”.

On August 1, 2023, the community was invaded by state agents, including social services, judicial police and immigration services authorities. During the raid there were no official arrests or criminal charges, however, several women with unregistered babies were removed from the community and placed in temporary state foster care facilities while investigations were deliberated.

After a series of state court hearings concerning children in the community, involving allegations of possible child neglect, two children were allowed to remain in the community but required to attend a conventional state school. Additionally, two women and three babies were released from state custody and allowed to return to the community, on condition that the babies were declared in the Portuguese civil registry and registered in the state medical system.

However, all the controversies surrounding the community have led to the departure of some of its members, and there are reports that the community's population has decreased from 33 to 13 current inhabitants.

Features

The Pineal Kingdom is a community initiative founded on the ideals of self-determined people who build and live in a society that embodies, respects and honours the principles of living within the rule of natural law in equity.

Its ethos focuses on building equitable communities that live in natural, organic environments and embody lifestyles that encourage self-determination and individual sovereignty.

Suspicions of foul play

A male baby, named Samsara, born on February 11, 2021, son of Água Akbal Zizi Pinheiro, died on March 22, 2022 from an unidentified illness and without conventional medical care. The Public Prosecutor's Office is currently investigating the child's death, in particular the failure to provide adequate health care, a circumstance that indicates that there may be a risk of death for other children in the community, which could lead to intervention by the Child Protection Commission and Young People (CPCJ)[3].

However, after 1 year of investigations and several court hearings, the State determined that, despite the community's unconventional beliefs and practices, there is no immediate danger or serious concern for the health and safety of the children. As of October 2024, there are 5 children living in the community, including 2 babies, one of which was born at home in the community in March 2024.

In 2023, the Municipality of Oliveira do Hospital requested the intervention of the Foreigners and Borders Service, to investigate the community,[3] reporting illegal constructions, parties, drug trafficking and possible scams involving donations from community members.[2]

Currently, as of October 2024, no one from the Kingdom of Pineal community has been arrested or charged with any crimes associated with these allegations, however, investigations are still ongoing.