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Smoke Signal's report on mining is featured in more than 350 vehicles and generates debate and hearings in the House of Representatives and in the Senate

Public hearing in the House of Representatives debates the findings of the report “Pure Dynamite”

Credit: Reproduction

10 May 23

Smoke Signal’s report on mining is featured in more than 350 vehicles and generates debate and hearings in the House of Representatives and in the Senate

The report  Pure Dynamite: how Bolsonaro’s Government (2019-2022) Mineral Policy Set Up a Climate and Anti-Indigenous Bomb released on March 27 by the Mining Observatory and Smoke Signal, has been generating debate and resulted in public hearings in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The document, which analyzed the Brazilian mineral policy during the Bolsonaro government, pointed out the existence of illegal favoring to the mining industry, and called into into question the system of self-licensing and mineral exploration in indigenous lands.

The report was featured in more than 350 media outlets, including Agência Brasil, TV Brasil and Miriam Leitão’s column in O Globo, generating reactions from both environmentalists and the mining industry.

On Thursday, April 27, the House of Representatives held a public hearing on the report’s findings, stocking the debate on the Brazilian mineral policies. Participating in the hearing were Daniel Pollack, Superintendent of Revenue at the National Mining Agency (ANM), Maurício Ângelo, Founder and Director of the Mining Observatory, and Rebeca Lerer, founder and coordinator of Smoke Signal.

“There has been a shock indoctrination, with fake news and disinformation, in addition to deregulation (of legislation), equipping of social control institutions, demobilization of control bodies, and criminalization of social movements. We saw a mix of tactics to advance a predatory land use agenda, whether for mining or agriculture, which resulted in increased violence and deforestation,” said Lerer.

The hearing participants contributed with questions about the situation of miners, the proper destination of CFEM (Financial Compensation for Mineral Exploration) resources in the municipalities, and the impossibility of pointing an example of “sustainable mining”. You can watch the public hearing on Youtube.

On Wednesday, May 10, the Federal Senate hosted a debate on the “Pure Dynamite” report and examined the 4 years of climate and anti-indigenous activities carried out by the government of Jair Bolsonaro. The event was attended by several experts, including Maurício Angelo of the Mining Observatory, André Elias Marques, Ombudsman of the National Mining Agency, and Suely Araújo, former president of Ibama and senior public policy specialist at the Climate Observatory, as well as the remote participation of Rebeca Lerer, coordinator of Smoke Signal, and Juliana de Paula Batista. representing the Socio-environmental Institute (SISA).

The main focus of the debate was “mineral denialism” and self-licensing in the mining sector on indigenous lands. In addition, it was discussed that mining represents only about 1% of Brazilian GDP, consumes 11% of electricity, and employs only 200,000 people, many of them in high-risk, outsourced activities. Environmental licensing was another highlight, with pressure from mining companies and industry to include mining in the Licensing Law (PL 3729). The influence that mining companies have on the licensing process was seen as a problem, as they have encouraged dams in an imminent state of disruption throughout the country. The full debate is available on the Senate website.

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Supreme Courts suspends 'presumption of good faith' in gold market to curb illegal trafficking

Areas of illegal gold mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land seen in an overflight along the Mucajaí river, February 2023.

Credit: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

3 May 23

Supreme Courts suspends ‘presumption of good faith’ in gold market to curb illegal trafficking

The Federal Supreme Court (STF) unanimously suspended the legal provision that established the “presumption of good faith” in the gold market. This instrument allowed gold to be traded in Brazil only based on the sellers’ information about the origin of the product. The court decided to follow the individual decision issued by justice Gilmar Mendes on April 4th.

The measure was considered by the Court as one of the main legal loopholes for laundering gold extracted from indigenous lands and environmental reserves. It is expected that the decision will make illegal gold trafficking more difficult and protect the environment and indigenous people.

 

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Attack in Yanomami Indigenous Territory leaves one dead and two wounded; government promises to intensify action

Flight records illegal mining areas inside the Yanomami Indigenous Land, in Roraima, in April 2021.

Credit: Reproduction

1 May 23

Attack in Yanomami Indigenous Territory leaves one dead and two wounded; government promises to intensify action

An attack in the community of Uxiú on Yanomami indigenous land resulted in the death of a Yanomami health agent, in addition to leaving two other indigenous people injured. The Hutukura Yanomami Association (HAY) and the Texoli Ninam Association of the State of Roraima (Taner) said that the attack occurred during a funeral ceremony, and that it was allegedly carried out by illegal miners from a boat with six people on the Mucajaí river.

After the tragedy, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), Marina Silva, stated in a press conference that the actions in Yanomami territory will be intensified. According to the minister, between 75% and 80% of the miners have already been removed from the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, and several mines have been deactivated. However, the task is far from being completed. The actions will be reinforced with the support of the Armed Forces and with the reinforcement of teams from Ibama and the Federal Police (PF).

“We were very sad to learn of the shooting attack by miners against three Yanomami, one of whom died and the other two are being treated in a serious condition. An inter-ministerial committee is on its way to Roraima to further reinforce the actions to find the criminals,” said the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara.

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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

US announces R$ 2.5 billion donation to the Amazon Fund

President Lula meets with US President Joe Biden

Credit: Ricardo Stuckert/PR

24 Apr 23

US announces R$ 2.5 billion donation to the Amazon Fund

The United States announced on April 23th that it will donate R$2.5 billion to the Amazon Fund, a multi-donor fund that supports sustainable development and climate action in the Amazon Rainforest. The donation is the largest single contribution to the fund and comes at a time when the Amazon faces unprecedented threats from deforestation, climate change, and fires.

The U.S. donation will be used to support a variety of projects in the Amazon, including: reducing deforestation and forest degradation; protecting indigenous peoples and their rights; promoting sustainable development; and fighting climate change.

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Supreeme Court justice suspends 'good faith' to certify origin of gold sold in Brazil

Federal Police operation fighting illegal gold mining

Credit: Federal Police/Handout

5 Apr 23

Supreeme Court justice suspends ‘good faith’ to certify origin of gold sold in Brazil

The justice of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Gilmar Mendes, suspended a section of Law 12,844/2013 that provides for the presumed legality of gold sold in Brazil, as well as the “good faith” of buyers of the metal. The decision was made after a request made by the Green Party (PV) in a direct action of unconstitutionality, arguing that the rule makes private monitoring unfeasible by disempowering the buyer and encouraging the illegal market. In addition to suspending the section of the law that deals with the matter, the justice gave the federal government 90 days to adopt a new regulatory framework for monitoring the gold trade.

The decision by Gilmar Mendes took into account the manifestation of various supervisory agencies of the gold trade in Brazil, such as the National Mining Agency (ANM) and the Central Bank (BC). The magistrate granted the injunction after the Attorney General of the Republic, Augusto Aras, expressed himself for the overturning of the rule that provided for the presumed legality of gold and the good faith of buyers. The minister justified the urgency of the injunction in view of the environmental and humanitarian damage and the increase in generalized criminality caused by illegal mining. The decision will be submitted to the referendum of the STF plenary in virtual plenary as soon as possible.

Illegal mining rates drop but invasion continues in Yanomami Indigenous Land

Yanomami people were disproportionately affected by mining during the last government

Credit: Fernando Frazão / Agência Brasil

5 Apr 23

Illegal mining rates drop but invasion continues in Yanomami Indigenous Land

The presence of environmental enforcement in the Yanomami Indigenous Land has had an effect on the reduction of illegal mining activity in the region of the Uraricoera river, one of the most targeted by miners. According to Agência Pública, the number of warnings of mining hotspots in this region has dropped by 88 percent since IBAMA set up an inspection base and blocked the passage of illegal vessels.

However, in the Yanomami territory as a whole, the drop in garimpo [illegal mining] has been less, at 60%, and 94 new garimpo points or extensions of existing mining areas have been identified since February 20. Furthermore, mining continues to be intense in more remote areas, benefiting from irregular air transport. Other criminal activities, such as the sexual abuse of young people and indigenous women by miners, also continue to occur on Yanomami land, states the report.

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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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Serra do Mar State Park in São Paulo state becomes a target of illegal mining

View of the Serra do Mar

Crédito: Denise Mayumi

21 Mar 23

Serra do Mar State Park in São Paulo state becomes a target of illegal mining

The Serra do Mar State Park in São Paulo state, the largest Atlantic rainforest reserve in Brazil, is being targeted for illegal mining, according to reports received by the Federal Public Prosecution (MPF). Indigenous people who live in the region found clandestine bridges, a house and trails used by miners, as well as a road that goes through the forest.

Images were recorded inside the Renascer Indigenous Land, in Ubatuba, on the northern coast of São Paulo, showing a truck being loaded with gravel inside a protected area. Attorney Walquíria Picoli stated that there is no authorization from the Union for the mining activity and no environmental license to mine, constituting two crimes: the crime of usurpation of Union property and the crime of illegal mining.

 

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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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Marina Silva visits base attacked by gold miners in Yanomami Land and cites 'immense degradation' in the territory

Ibama helicopters in operation against miners in Yanomami Land

Credit: G1

4 Mar 23

Marina Silva visits base attacked by gold miners in Yanomami Land and cites ‘immense degradation’ in the territory

The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, visited Yanomami Land on Saturday (4) to see firsthand the actions implemented by IBAMA to curb illegal gold mining. She went to the inspection base in the Palimiú community, where armed gold miners fired at agents, and flew over regions invaded by the garimpeiros. She was astonished by what she saw in the territory: “The degradation is immeasurable,” she said.

Sources:

G1

Yanomami Genocide: Illegal gold scheme involves millionaire companies accused of environmental crime and money laundering in Pará state

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

Credit: Bruno Kelly/Amazônia Real

3 Mar 23

Yanomami Genocide: Illegal gold scheme involves millionaire companies accused of environmental crime and money laundering in Pará state

A joint investigation by the Federal Police and the Federal Public Prosecution revealed that financial institutions accused of environmental crimes in the Amazon and gold laundering in Pará state bought illegal Yanomami gold, according to a story in Reporter Brasil. Companies with million-dollar billings and headquarters in prime neighborhoods of the São Paulo capital are accused of participating in a scheme that may have legalized, in 2019 and 2020, more than 4 tons of illegal gold from several indigenous lands in the Amazon, according to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. Three of these intermediaries – Ourominas, FD’Gold and Carol – appear in the investigations into mining on Yanomami Indigenous Land.

As a result of these investigations, the Federal Police launched on Tuesday (February 28) “Operation Kukuanaland”, which aims to identify and dismantle a criminal organization dedicated to the illegal extraction of gold from indigenous reserves and federal conservation units, to its commercialization, export and money laundering.

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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: Pro-mining Senator caught with money in his underwear to preside special committee

Senator Chico Rodrigues (PSB-RR)

Credit: Roque de Sá/Agência Senado

16 Feb 23

Yanomami Genocide: Pro-mining Senator caught with money in his underwear to preside special committee

Senator Chico Rodrigues (PSB) was elected president of the Temporary Committee to monitor the situation of the Yanomami in the Senate on Wednesday (15). In October 2020, the senator gained national attention after being caught with R$ 33,000 hidden in his underwear during a police operation investigating an alleged criminal scheme of diverting public resources to combat Covid-19 in the state of Roraima. In the same operation, a stone that may be a gold nugget was found in the safe in the senator’s room.

Chico Rodrigues has previously declared his support for mining and has advocated for the legalization of the activity on indigenous lands, in addition to requesting the creation of a bill to regulate mining.

Sources:

G1

Yanomami Genocide: Federal Police conducts operation against illegal mining on indigenous land; suspects moved R$ 422 million in 5 years

Diamonds found at a suspect’s house

Credit: Federal Police

14 Feb 23

Yanomami Genocide: Federal Police conducts operation against illegal mining on indigenous land; suspects moved R$ 422 million in 5 years

On Tuesday (14), the Federal Police started an operation to fight illegal mining on the Yanomami Indigenous Land in Roraima. The suspects include businessmen, lawyers, and a municipal government employee from Boa Vista, capital of the state of Roraima, who allegedly moved about R$ 422 million in five years. The money was transported by land to Roraima, while the gold was taken by aircraft.

Sources:

G1

Supreme Court orders the investigation of Bolsonaro administration officials for genocide

Justice Rosa Weber presiding over a Supreme Court session

Credit: Carlos Moura/SCO/STF

30 Jan 23

Supreme Court orders the investigation of Bolsonaro administration officials for genocide

Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), ordered on Monday (30) the investigation of possible participation of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government officials in the practice of crimes of genocide, disobedience and breach of judicial secrecy related to the security of indigenous communities.

The decision was made after the minister received information about the situation faced by the Yanomami community, which is suffering from a humanitarian crisis in Roraima and Amazon states.

Sources:

UOL

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