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Indigenous peoples conquer the new six territories and consolidate public policies during Free Land Camp

Marcha declarou emergência climática durante o Acampamento Terra Livre

Crédito: Pedro Ribeiro Nogueira/Escola de Ativismo

28 Apr 23

Indigenous peoples conquer the new six territories and consolidate public policies during Free Land Camp

The 19th Acampamento Terra Livre [Free Land Camp] (ATL) ended on April 26th with a series of major achievements for the indigenous peoples in Brazil. On the last day of the event, attended by more than 6,000 indigenous people from all over the country, President Lula together with the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, announced the approval of several important policies, including: the ratification of six new indigenous lands, totaling more than 1.5 million hectares; the creation of a new federal agency to protect indigenous lands and resources; and the allocation of $1 billion in funding for indigenous health and education.

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Indigennous leader Alessandra Korap wins Goldman Award

Alessandra Korap is one of the winners of the Goldman Prize 2023

Crédito: Goldman Environmental Prize/Divulgação

25 Apr 23

Indigennous leader Alessandra Korap wins Goldman Award

Alessandra Korap Munduruku has won the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize, the “green Nobel,” for her work defending the environment in the Tapajós river basin in the state of Pará. Korap, who leads the Pariri Indigenous Association that supports local communities, has worked to prevent large mining companies, such as Anglo American and Vale, from exploiting undemarcated indigenous lands. She has faced several attacks and death threats, but endures as a significant figure in the fight against the destruction of forests and rivers.

The Goldman Environmental Prize has been awarded to only three other Brazilians since 1989: Carlos Alberto Ricardo (1992), Marina Silva (1996), and Tarcísio Feitosa da Silva (2006).

Sources:

BBC

FUNAI asks for the suspension if mining concessions that threaten indigenous lands in the Amazon

The number of concession requests that overlap with indigenous lands exploded during the Bolsonaro government.

Crédito: OPI

29 Mar 23

FUNAI asks for the suspension if mining concessions that threaten indigenous lands in the Amazon

The National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) has requested the National Mining Agency (ANM) to suspend the 6th Round of Area Availability for mining in the Amazon. In the letter sent on March 20, Funai warned about the proximity of some concessions to indigenous lands and asked that the authorization for mining activity should not affect these territories.

The 6th Round, which offers 420 mining areas throughout Brazil, was launched in September 2022 by the Bolsonaro government and follows the schedule available on the agency’s website. The Observatory of Human Rights of Isolated and Newly-Contacted Indigenous Peoples (Opi) had warned about the possible impacts of the concessions, especially in the Yanomami Indigenous Lands in Roraima, Piripkura in Mato Grosso, and Uru Eu Wau Wau in Rondônia, where people live in voluntary isolation.

 

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Pure Dynamite: Report produced by Observatório da Mineração and Smoke Signal reviews the explosive legacy of the Bolsonaro government's mining policy
27 Mar 23

Pure Dynamite: Report produced by Observatório da Mineração and Smoke Signal reviews the explosive legacy of the Bolsonaro government’s mining policy

To create memory and help elaborate on the tragedy of mineral policy under the Bolsonaro government, The Mining Observatory [Observatório da Mineração] and Smoke Signal [Sinal de Fumaça] have launched the bilingual reportPure Dynamite: how Bolsonaro’s Government (2019-2022) Mineral Policy Set Up a Climate and Anti-Indigenous Bomb” an independent production that brings a timeline of the mineral sector and details the dismantling of regulatory bodies, rights violations, scandalous agreements and other measures adopted by the former government to satisfy the mineral market lobby in the country and the world.

In its thorough and investigative work, Observatório da Mineração closely followed the work that Bolsonaro’s government undertook at the national and international levels to dismantle public policies and sell mining and metal goods. Investigations have shown that his administration promoted legal and infralegal changes that benefited large mining companies, caused the criminal networks of illegal mining to soar, and made institutions such as the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the National Mining Agency totally subservient to vested financial interests. Smoke Signal Socio-Environmental Monitor, which has recorded facts and movements related to Brazilian socio-environmental policies over the last four years, joined Observatório da Mineração to produce this unprecedented report.

In addition to exposing the sophisticated articulations made between the mining market lobby, transnational companies and the federal government behind closed doors in the National Congress, the publication also brings a brief summary of the first measures adopted by Lula’s government and a list with 20 initial suggestions for the recovery of public governance and the reduction of negative effects of mining in the country. 

Click here to read our report in english. Also available in portuguese.

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Bruno and Dom: Crime mastermind is suspect of having ordered public servant murder in 2019

The Temporary Commission on Crime in the Northern Region (CTENORTE), formed by congressmen and representatives of federal agencies, meets with leaders of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja). On the wall is a photo of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira.

Credit: Roberto Stuckert Filho/Gab. Senador Humberto Costa

21 Mar 23

Bruno and Dom: Crime mastermind is suspect of having ordered public servant murder in 2019

The Federal Police is investigating the possible participation of Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, known as Colombia, in the death of Maxciel Pereira dos Santos, a FUNAI [Brazilian indigenous peoples agency] employee, in Tabatinga (AM), in September 2019. He is already suspected of having been the mastermind of the deaths of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira, last year.

Investigations are trying to assess whether Colombia hired the gunmen to kill the FUNAI employee. The line of investigation is that they would have crossed the triple border with neighboring countries to commit the crime at the behest of Colombia. No suspects have yet been arrested for the crimes.

The investigation was reopened in September 2021, three months after Bruno and Dom’s deaths, and is under secrecy. The police team found several coincidences between the group accused of the double murder and the attack on Maxciel, who worked alongside Bruno in the fight against illegal fishing and mining in Vale do Javari in 2019. According to the. In the past, the police had suggested the archiving of the investigations, but the Federal Public Prosecutor was against it and the investigation was resumed after pressure from Maxciel’s relatives and the international repercussion of Bruno and Dom’s deaths.

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Yanomami Genocide: military refuses to fix 46 landing strips that would help indigenous rescues

De acordo com o relatório apresentado pela Funai, a vegetação alta nas cabeceiras de várias dessas pistas “compromete os procedimentos de pouso e decolagem”. Nas laterais, “dificulta os procedimentos de manobras durante a corrida da aeronave nas pistas.

Crédito: Reprodução

13 Mar 23

Yanomami Genocide: military refuses to fix 46 landing strips that would help indigenous rescues

A report prepared by FUNAI, Brazilian indigenous agency, pointed out that 46 landing strips on Yanomami lands in the Amazon region need maintenance to ensure transportation of the sick and emergency aid to those affected by illegal mining. However, military personnel responsible for the Army’s operation in the region refuse to carry out repairs.

According to the report published by Agência Pública, the military justifies their refusal by alleging that FUNAI did not correctly report the maintenance needs of the landing strips. Furthermore, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) has been pressuring the responsible authorities to resolve the impasse.

Meanwhile, President Lula traveled to Roraima to participate in an assembly of indigenous people and discuss actions to defend the rights of native peoples.

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More than 19,000 illegal gold miners have been removed from the Yanomami indigenous territory.

Illegal gold miner searches for gold at Uraricouera River, inside Yanomami territory

Credit: Bruno Kelly/Amazônia Real

8 Mar 23

More than 19,000 illegal gold miners have been removed from the Yanomami indigenous territory.

The temporary commission of the Brazilian Federal Senate to monitor the humanitarian crisis in Yanomami Indigenous Land approved its work plan last Wednesday (8/3). According to the rapporteur of the commission, Senator Dr. Hiran (Progressistas-RR), more than 19,000 gold miners have left the area since the eviction operation began last February. The president of IBAMA, Brazil’s environmental agency, Rodrigo Agostinho, also supports this: “We have removed almost 80%, 90% of the gold miners.”

The Senate commission also requested information on the funds released by the Amazon Fund and invited indigenous and environmental organizations for public hearings. Meanwhile, federal forces continue anti-gold mining actions and have already applied penalties of over R$10 million.

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Government officials meets with indigenous leaders of the Javari Valley

Beatriz Matos, Bruno Pereira’s widow and at the head of the isolated people department at FUNAI, participates in the meeting,

Credit: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

1 Mar 23

Government officials meets with indigenous leaders of the Javari Valley

Representatives from different government agencies visited the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land in Amazonas state on Monday (27), in an action called by the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (UNIVAJA) and grassroots organizations of the indigenous land. The committee was composed of representatives from the Ministries of Justice and Public Security, Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights, Health, the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI), the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the Federal Police, the Federal Highway Police, the National Public Security Force, and the Federal Public Prosecution. Also present were three secretaries of the Amazonas government

The region, which is the second largest indigenous reserve in Brazil, suffers from the absence of the State and the presence of organized crime, besides having been the scene of a barbaric crime in June 2022, when the activist Bruno Pereira and the British journalist Dom Phillips were murdered.

During the visit, indigenous leaders delivered a letter with proposals for improvements in infrastructure, security, education and health in the region. The government task force will continue in the Javari Valley, visiting the Ituí Base, where isolated indigenous people live.

Bruno Pereira’s widow, Beatriz Matos, who has taken over the direction of the Department of Isolated Peoples in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, and Dom Phillips’ widow, Alessandra Sampaio, also participated in the delegation and were moved when they took part – together with the minister of indigenous peoples, Sônia Guajajara and the president of FUNAI, Joenia Wapichana – in an indigenous ritual with the song that became famous in Bruno’s voice.

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Yanomami Genocide: Using federal structure, illegal mining caused a 309% increase in deforestation on Indigenous Land

There’s an estimate of more than 20,000 illegal miners living and working inside the territory

Credit: Agência Pública

27 Jan 23

Yanomami Genocide: Using federal structure, illegal mining caused a 309% increase in deforestation on Indigenous Land

Between October 2018 and December 2022, deforestation resulting from illegal mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land increased by 309%, according to a survey prepared by the Hutukara Yanomami Association. In December 2022, the last month of Jair Bolsonaro’s government, the deforested area was 5,053.82 hectares, compared to 1,236 hectares detected at the beginning of the monitoring.

Illegal miners also used a FUNAI (National Indigenous Foundation) base that was supposed to protect the Yanomami, according to an unpublished document obtained by Agência Pública. Document from 2021 cites clandestine helicopters, armed men and miners using government structure inside the territory.

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Yanomami Genocide: Lula adminstration exonerates indigenous health managers and FUNAI head officers

Illegal gold diggers took over the Yanomami territory

Credit: Associação Hukerari Yanomami

24 Jan 23

Yanomami Genocide: Lula adminstration exonerates indigenous health managers and FUNAI head officers

At least 54 officers working in organs and instances related to health and assistance to the indigenous peoples were dismissed after the dimensions of the humanitarian crisis in the Yanomami Indigenous Land (TI) were revealed.

The federal government informed through an extra edition of the Official Gazette of the Union on Monday (23/01) the removal of 43 occupants of command positions of the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) and 11 regional coordinators of the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (SESAI) of the Ministry of Health. Among the dismissed employees are 13 military personnel, the coordinator of the East health district of Roraima – responsible for reinforcing the assistance to the Yanomami people in the state -, Aurisan Souza de Santana and the director of the Museum of the Indian, Giovani Souza Filho. Replacements for these positions will be announced in the coming days.

Federal Police points that 'Colombia' was behind the murders of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips

Police officer during the searches for Bruno and Dom

Credit: Cícero Pedrosa Neto/Amazônia Real

24 Jan 23

Federal Police points that ‘Colombia’ was behind the murders of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips

Rubén Dario da Silva Villar, known as “Colombia”, was the mastermind of the murders of Brazilian indigenist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips, occurred in June 2022 in Vale do Javari [Javari Valley], in Amazonas. The information was confirmed by the superintendent of the Federal Police in the state, Alexandre Fontes, on Monday (23).

According to investigations, “Colombia” had a direct relationship with Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, known as “Pelado”, who is in prison and confessed participation in the deaths of Bruno and Dom. Amarildo’s brother, Oseney, and Jefferson da Silva Lima, also were arrested on suspicion of the crime.

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office denounced Amarildo, Oseney and Jefferson for the murder of the victims. According to the superintendent, Colombia should be indicted for the murder in the coming days.

“The motivation is illegal fishing in the Vale do Javari region. And the intellectual author, I have no doubt, is ‘Colombia’. He was also the one who supplied boats for the illegal fishing in the region,” explained the delegate.

The confirmation by the police of the direct involvement of Colombia, which had been pointed out by the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja), brings relief to the families of Bruno and Dom, but much remains to be done to defeat the criminals in Javari, says the public note from the Observatory of Human Rights of Isolated Indigenous Peoples and of Recent Contact. “Other people may be involved in the killings, it is necessary to clarify the death of Maxciel Pereira and the involvement, by omission or action, of public servants, including military personnel,” says the note.

On Friday (20), the Federal Court in Amazonas rescheduled the first hearings of the process that investigates the murders of Bruno and Dom. The lawyer for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja), Eliésio Marubo, was dismayed by the postponement of the hearings. For him, the impasse “causes insecurity in the trial and gives the idea that the criminals are poor wretches unjustly treated by the judicial system. “Someone is making mistakes on purpose, because not even a trainee can make such errors,” said the indigenous lawyer.

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Yanomami Genocide: government declares public health emergency

Over 570 children died during Bolsonaro’s administration

Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/Palácio do Planalto

20 Jan 23

Yanomami Genocide: government declares public health emergency

After a visit by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sônia Guajajara, the Ministry of Health (MH) declared a public health emergency in Yanomami Indigenous Land. The region is being affected by health negligence, malaria and severe malnutrition. 

“It is very sad to know that indigenous people, especially 570 Yanomami children, have died of starvation during the last government. The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples will take urgent action to fight this humanitarian crisis imposed against our peoples,” said Sônia Guajajara.

Also present at the government visit, Health Minister Nísia Trindade, said that the Bolsonaro government was been “omissive” regarding health care for the Yanomami and blamed illegal gold mining for the state of calamity found. 

 

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Lula's government kicks off "clean up" at Ministry of Climate and Environment

A ministra do Meio Ambiente, Marina Silva, assume o cargo, durante cerimônia de transmissão, no Salão Nobre no Palácio do Planalto

Crédito: Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil

13 Jan 23

Lula’s government kicks off “clean up” at Ministry of Climate and Environment

The administration of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) took broad action and exonerated at once practically all regional and state superintendents for Ibama (Brazilian environmental agency). The dismissals were published on a special edition of the Official Diary of the Union on the evening of Friday, January 13th. 

Ibama has 26 state offices across the country; according to newspaper Folha de São Paulo, during Bolsonaro’s administration the agency was used to accommodate his allies in strategic positions. Former minister Ricardo Salles and former Ibama’s president Ricardo Bim, for instance, appointed several military police officers to lead the civil agency’ s offices. In some cases, those nominated were accused by public servants and experts of harassment, persecution and conflict of interests. 

The current administration now changed 20 out of 26 Ibama’s chiefs at states; the move also affected first tier officials for the Minister of Climate and Environment and its associated secretaries, agencies and governing bodies. 

A week before, on January 2nd, Lula’s government had already exonerated 1.204 public servants who worked under Bolsonaro.  Advisors and directors occupying positions of trust in the previous administration were dismissed following orders signed by Lula’s chief of staff, Rui Costa, as published in the Official Diary of the Union. 

This first wave of exonerations hit federal ministries and agencies, as well as the Presidency structure. A total of 7 ministries were affected, including the Ministry of the Environment, as well as direct advisors and staff for the president ‘s personal team.  The dismissals also swept through the Secretary for Strategic Issues (Homeland) and federal autarchies such as the National Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI), Instituto Chico Mendes for Biodiversity and Conservation as well as the above mentioned environmental agency Ibama. 

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Sônia Guajajara takes office as Minister of Indigenous Peoples

O povo Terena executou a Dança da Ema na posse da ministra Sônia Guajajara no Palácio do Planalto, em Brasília

Crédito: Ana Pessoa/Mídia NINJA

11 Jan 23

Sônia Guajajara takes office as Minister of Indigenous Peoples

Sônia Guajajara became the first minister at the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples on Wednesday (11). She is also the first indigenous woman to occupy a ministry. The ceremony took place at the Planalto Palace, in Brasília. According to TV Cultura, the auditorium was packed to watch the event, with the presence of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and other members of the government

Guajajara presented the ministry’s team, formed by Eloy Terena, Executive Secretary; Jozi Kaigang, Chief of Staff; Eunice Kerexu, Secretary of Environmental and Territorial Rights; Ceiça Pitaguary, Secretary of Environmental and Indigenous Territorial Management; Juma Xipaia, Secretary of Articulation and Promotion of Indigenous Rights; and Marcos Xucuru, Special Advisor to the MPI.

“I cannot fail to remember the relatives who were removed from our coexistence by the speech of the fascism that reigned in Brazil in recent years spilling without shame, much indigenous blood. Let us remember the strength of those who fell in the struggle like Paulino Guajajara Ivanilde, Janildo, Jael and Antônio Guajajara ali Uruê Auau, Daiane Gaingang, Estela Vera Guarani Carilar, Wellingto Ariane Oliveira and the girl Raissa. And so many other relatives victimized by illegal mining, by invasions of their territories. And by so many other actions and omissions of the State. Furthermore, I need to highlight the strength of Bruno Pereira and memories that all of our allies and allied defenders of the environment and human rights this brutal murder cannot remain unpunished”.

“If, before, demarcations were focused mainly on the preservation of our culture, new studies have been demonstrating that the maintenance of these areas has an even more comprehensive importance, being fundamental to the stability of ecosystems across the planet, ensuring quality of life, including in large cities. Hence the importance of recognizing the original rights of Indigenous Peoples over the lands where they live,” said Guajajara.

For Guajajara, the protection of biomes, resulting from the preservation of indigenous lands, conservation units and territories inhabited by traditional communities, is “essential” for any agricultural production. “It guarantees water, the presence of pollinating agents and many other factors without which nothing can be produced. Indigenous lands are important allies in the fight against global warming and fundamental for the preservation of our biodiversity,” he said.

The minister recalled that the Paris Agreement and the New York Declaration for Tropical Forests of the United Nations recognized the knowledge of traditional peoples and communities as scientific knowledge and as one of the “last alternatives to contain the climate crisis”. “It is necessary that this knowledge goes beyond international treaties, and be valued in practice, throughout the national territory, through local policies, considering the diversity of peoples, cultures, and territories,” she pointed out.

Minister Anielle Franco, of Racial Equality, also took office on Wednesday. The joint ceremony had several symbolic moments, marked by the sound of African culture and indigenous music. The National Anthem was sung partly in the Tikuna language by Djuena Tikuna, and partly in Portuguese by Marina Íris. The Terena people performed the Dança da Ema, or dança do Bate-pau, a ritualistic manifestation that consecrates great warriors.

According to Sônia Guajajara, one of the first measures she will take in charge of the ministry will be to move forward with the process of ratifying 13 indigenous lands that were already in the final stages of being recognized.Jota made a profile of all 37 ministers that are part of Lula’s government.

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Under pressure from indigenous leaders, Minister of Justice Flavio Dino said the government will act on the killings of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips

Indigenista Bruno Pereira e o jornalista Dom Phillips

Cris Vector

5 Jan 23

Under pressure from indigenous leaders, Minister of Justice Flavio Dino said the government will act on the killings of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips

The minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, said in an interview on that he will determine the Federal Police to do “as much as they possibly can” to resolve and bring justice on the killings of indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Philips, in the Javary Valley in Amazonas state in June 2022. 

Beto Marubo, an indigenous leader and member of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Javari Valley (Univaja) who worked with Dom and Bruno, has demanded, in his social media channels, that the resolution of the case gets the same effort and priority as the murder of Marielle Franco, the Rio de Janeiro city council deputy murdered in March 2018. “This case also needs to be resolved, to Brazil and to the world”, Marubo tweeted. Due to security issues, Beto Marubo has not been back to the Javari Valley since the brutal murders.  To him, the continued threats and the presence of criminal groups in the region means that “there was absolutely no justice” with regards to the deaths of his colleagues.

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Deforestation, fines and gold mining: the first measures of Lula's government to rebuild Brazil's socio environmental governance

Presidente Lula inicia o seu terceiro mandato restabelecimento vários programas de proteção ambiental que haviam sido extintos ou enfraquecidos no governo do ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro

Crédito: Ana Pessoa / Mídia NINJA

2 Jan 23

Deforestation, fines and gold mining: the first measures of Lula’s government to rebuild Brazil’s socio environmental governance

On his first day in office, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) signed the first decrees revoking or repealing measures adopted by his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. The so-called “revogaço” (a package of repeals) was promised during Lula’s election campaign and targeted firearms policies, environment and secrecy practices involving public data. 

With regards to the environmental agenda, the president signed the following decrees: determined a 45-day deadline to finalize a proposal to regulate the National Council for the Environment (CONAMA, which was strongly damaged under Bolsonaro); ; reestablishment of rules to reopen the Amazon Fund (shut down by Bolsonaro in the first few months of this government) – both Norway and Germany announced R$ 3,3 billion of Fund resources for immediate release; revoked a decree permitting gold mining inside protected and sensitive areas that was signed by Bolsonaro;  resuming the Action Plan to Prevent and Control Deforestation, including all Brazilian biomes to reach the zero deforestation target; reviewed the norms for environmental fines and sanctions, excluding practises that led to impunity for environmental criminals (that were also weakened by Bolsonaro); established the permanent Interministerial Commission to Prevent and Control Deforestation engaging 19 federal ministries, including the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Agrarian Development and Indigenous Peoples; the decrees also rearranged the civil society participation on the board of the National Environmental Fund and gave back to the Ministry of the Environment the control over the Rural Property Database (which was moved to Agriculture under Bolsonaro). 

On Monday January 2nd, Funai had its name changed: created in 1967 as the National Indian Foundation, it is now called National Foundation for Indigenous People.  FUNAI is now part of the structure of the newly established Ministry of Indigenous People. For the first time also, Funai is presided over by an indigenous woman, the former federal deputy Joenia Wapichana. 

On the same day, Minister Marina Silva canceled a norm created by former minister of the Environment Ricardo Salles that took away important technical attributions to Ibama’s environmental agents. According to  Brasil de Fato publication, the norm paralyzed Ibama’s inspections and law enforcement capacities. A survey by Estadao media showed that out of 1,154 infractions and fines issued after October 2019, when Salles changed the rules, 98% were not enforced or charged. Marina Silva also determined that infractions and fines must be made publicly available on the internet. During Bolsonaro’s government, the database on infractions and fines were made inaccessible. It was also determined that 50% of money raised with fines will be destined to the National Environmental Fund (FNMA), to support environmental policies. Minister Marina also said that more repeals and changes will be published in the upcoming days and weeks.

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Special Commission of the House of Representatives holds the Brazilian State responsible for the deaths of Bruno and Dom

Protestors demand justice for Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips

Credit: Alberto César Araújo/Amazônia Real

30 Nov 22

Special Commission of the House of Representatives holds the Brazilian State responsible for the deaths of Bruno and Dom

The final report of a external commission of the House of Representatives that is following the investigation of the murder of the Brazilian indigenous activist Bruno Pereira and the English journalist Dom Phillips, in the region of Vale do Javari (AM), was approved. The report calls for the creation of a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) to investigate crimes committed in the region, among other measures.

The External Commission of the Chamber of Deputies holds the Brazilian State responsible for not being present in the Javari Valley, which is overrun by international drug trafficking, illegal fishers and illegal mining. The rapporteur, congresswoman Vivi Reis (PSOL-PA), highlighted the “planned omission of the government in favor of organized crime” and the lack of action by authorities in the face of “tragedy foretold”, referring to the potential for conflicts involving various interests in the region.

 

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Illegal fishermen attack indigenous boat and threaten to kill Kanamari woman in Javari Valley

Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips were murdered in the same region

Credit: Cícero Pedrosa Neto/ Amazônia Real

16 Nov 22

Illegal fishermen attack indigenous boat and threaten to kill Kanamari woman in Javari Valley

A group of 12 indigenous people (five women, four men and three children) of the Kanamari indigenous people were threatened by three illegal fishermen with guns near the base of the Itacoaí-Ituí Protection Front in the Vale do Javari [Javari Valley] Indigenous Land (Amazonas) on the 9th of this month around 9:30am. A Kanamari woman had a rifle pointed in the direction of her chest by one of the fishermen, who threatened to kill her. Without a weapon, the other indigenous people feared the worst and tried to dissuade him from the crime.

The three fishermen then left, carrying in their boats dozens of tracajás (Amazon turtle) that had been taken from the indigenous land. From a distance they fired five shots at the fuel drums (already empty) of the “canoe” in which the indigenous people were traveling. A second, smaller “canoe” accompanied the attacked boat, bringing the total number of Kanamari people to 30 at the time of the illegal fishermen’s action. The indigenous woman threatened by the illegal fisherman said that the only reason she did not die was because there were several witnesses aboard.

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Federal Prosecution Office appeals after release of suspected killer of Bruno and Dom; organizations protest

There is strong concern that the suspect could flee

Credit: Reproduction

27 Oct 22

Federal Prosecution Office appeals after release of suspected killer of Bruno and Dom; organizations protest

The Federal Public Prosecution Office (MPF) appealed on Wednesday (26) against the decision that released Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, aka Colombia, suspected of ordering the murder of indigenous expert and activist Bruno Pereira and English journalist Dom Phillips. The MPF had already expressed its opposition to the request for the defendant’s release made by his defense.

The MPF is asking for Colombia to be kept in preventive custody until all doubts about his identity have been resolved, since he has Colombian, Brazilian, and Peruvian documents. The prosecution argues that “the applicant, once released, does not need much to evade and escape the application of Brazilian criminal law”. The prosecutor also claims that the Brazilian document he presented to the Federal Police “is false and, therefore, Rubens (or Ruben), in fact, committed the crime of use of a false document”.

The Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns Human Rights Defense Commission asked the authorities to reinforce their efforts to solve the case. In a statement released on Wednesday, the commission states that “it is important to ensure the due legal process without, however, opening opportunities for interference in the investigation of the facts or aggravating the situation of threatened groups”.

The Observatory for the Human Rights of Isolated and Newly-Contacted Indigenous Peoples (OPI) considers that the release of Colombia is a threat to the safety of indigenous people and public servants in Vale do Javari and also to the families of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips. 

The Federal Police is continuing investigations against Colombia for the crime of armed criminal association and command of an illegal fishing gang in Vale do Javari, Amazonas, used to launder drug trafficking money. There are also suspected links to local politicians who benefit from the scheme.

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Bolsonaro's Decree curbs FUNAI'S capacities and "practically ends the institution"

Public policies for indigenous peoples will be affected

Credit: Mídia Ninja

10 Oct 22

Bolsonaro’s Decree curbs FUNAI’S capacities and “practically ends the institution”

Decree 11.226, signed by Jair Bolsonaro (PL), excluded FUNAI’S (Brazilian Indigenous peoples agency) the Regional Committees and their instances such as the Ethnoenvironmental Protection Fronts and Local Technical Coordinations, provided for in the 2017 Statute.

Civil society organizations and indigenous rights advocates showed concern and warned that “the new statute and changes in the staff of the National Indian Foundation should make the demarcation of indigenous lands unviable and reduce the agency’s autonomy in the construction and application of public policies.”

“Bolsonaro promised to give Funai a whack, remember? First he cut the members, and now, with this decree, he cuts off the head of the institution. It practically ends with the institution,” said Antonio Eduardo Cerqueira de Oliveira, executive secretary of the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi), to InfoAmazônia.

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