opinion: Tragedy Exposes Lawless Land in the Amazon, Sponsored by the Bolsonaro Government

[Judi Lynn]

The most feared news, but unfortunately not the least expected, has emerged about the whereabouts of Brazilian indigenous activist Bruno Araújo Pereira, 41, and British journalist Dom Phillips, 57, who had been missing in the Amazon since the morning of the 5th

Jun.16.2022 4:48PM

According to the Federal Police, a fisherman involved in illegal activities confessed to having participated in the murder and concealment of the bodies of the two missing men, who were traveling by boat in the extreme southwest of the state of Amazonas and visiting communities in the vicinity of the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land, which shelters the largest number of isolated peoples in the Amazon rainforest. Human remains were collected at the location pointed out by the suspect.

Pereira worked for a decade at Funai, where he served as coordinator for Vale do Javari and Povos Isolados. He had extensive experience in the area, where he chose to continue working after he was dismissed from the sector and graduated from the federal agency, starting to collaborate with Univaja (União dos Povos Indígenas do Vale do Javari).

Phillips accompanied the indigenous activist to gather information about the self-defense system of local peoples against invasions by miners, loggers, poachers, and illegal fishermen. He was working on a book on how to save the forest he fell in love with when he moved to Brazil in 2007.

Experienced professionals were aware of the risks of circulating in a corner of Brazil also frequented by drug traffickers, so much so that on most of the routes they had an escort from Univaja. A lawyer for the association informed that its members and Pereira had already received threats days before.

More:
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/opinion/2022/06/tragedy-exposes-lawless-land-in-the-amazon-sponsored-by-the-bolsonaro-government.shtml