Politicians and civil society organizations spoke out today on the killing of indigenous representative Bruno Araujo Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips. The couple were abducted while traveling by boat on the Ithacuai River after visiting the indigenous land of Vale do Javari (Amazonas), an area encroached upon by hunters, fishermen and illegal loggers. The disappearance became known on June 5.
Justice and Public Safety Minister Anderson Torres said today that the PF (Federal Police) reported the discovery of human remains at the site where native Bruno Araujo Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips were allegedly buried after they were abducted and killed. , earlier this month. The material is subject to examination.
President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) said this afternoon that “everything indicates” that the case will be “unraveled” and “clarified in the coming hours.” According to him, the British reporter was “not well respected in the region” for writing “a lot of reporting against the miners” and focusing on environmental conflicts. The statement was made before PF reported that fisherman Amarildo da Costa Oliveira admitted to dismembering and burying the bodies of an indigenous person and a journalist.
“These two decided to enter a completely inhospitable area alone, without guards, and a problem arose. From day one we have been looking for people in the area, but without success,” he said in an interview with journalist Leda Nagle on YouTube. channel.
The president, who was publicly pressured by opponents, authorities and the international media, said that the region of Vale do Javari was “quite isolated” and that “many people don’t like the House”. In Bolsonaro’s view, the journalist he called “that Englishman” should “be more than doubled in safety”.
This Englishman was treated with disapproval in the district. Because he made a lot of materials against miners, environmental issues… Well, that region, which is quite isolated, many people did not like it. He had to more than double his attention to himself. And decided to go on tour
Jair Bolsonaro
Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and former São Paulo Governor Geraldo Alcmin, in a joint memo, criticized the federal government and said the crime was directly related to the repeal of government policies to protect indigenous peoples. Lula and Alkmin are on the list of candidates who will fight for the presidency of the republic with Bolsonaro.
“The confirmation of the murder of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips is shocking news that causes us pain and resentment. Our first word is solidarity with relatives, friends of an indigenous person and a journalist. A thorough investigation of the crime is now required; that its authors and responsible persons be condemned. Democracy and Brazil can no longer tolerate and can no longer live with violence, hatred and contempt for the values of civilization,” they said.
Univaja (Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Zhavari) stated that it considers the killing of indigenous representative Bruno Araújo Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips a political crime and asked for further investigation. The couple were killed while traveling by boat on the Ithacuai River after visiting the indigenous land of Vale do Javari (Amazonas), an area encroached upon by hunters, fishermen and illegal loggers. The disappearance became known on June 5.
“Both were human rights activists and died doing activities for the benefit of us, the indigenous peoples of the Javari Valley, for our right to well-being, for our right to territory and natural resources, which are our food and guarantee of life, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of our isolated relatives,” the open letter says.
Without citing the organization that facilitated the search for the victims, Amazonas Governor Wilson Lima (PSC) said he regretted the outcome of the case. “My solidarity with families. I thank all the security forces, especially our men from the fire department and the civilian and military police, who were determined in their search,” he said through his social media profiles.
The President of the National Congress, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco (SDP-MG), stated that “out of respect for victimson the Amazon and freedom of the press,” he hopes that all the perpetrators involved will be punished strictly according to the law: “It is with great regret that I receive the news that the remains of the native Bruno Araujo and the journalist of the House of Phillips have been found.”
In a public note, Abraji (Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalists), Ajor (Association of Digital Journalism), Fenay (National Federation of Journalists), the Vladimir Herzog Institute and other organizations that bring together journalists and media workers expressed outrage at the confirmation of the death of an indigenous representative and a British reporter.
“In recent years, journalists and environmentalists have shown records of deforestation and the advance of miners and loggers, predatory fishing and drug trafficking in the territories of indigenous peoples. It’s about adventure, it’s about journalism,” they said.
The group also stepped up its criticism of the President of the Republic. “Bolsonaro and his allies have become the protagonists of attacks on the press. Between 2019 and 2021, attacks on the press and its professionals increased by more than 200%, according to a survey conducted by Abraj. Most of them come from the family of the president, members of the federal government and his supporters. This context has placed Brazil in more than alarming positions in global classifications of freedom of the press and expression, such as Reporters Without Borders e Article 19“, they stressed.
ANPR (National Association of Prosecutors of the Republic) said it understands “that a quick investigation, clarification of the case and prosecution of those responsible is the only acceptable way to minimally correct this tragedy. For this reason, we reject any attack on the memory of the victims or posture that does not respect the sadness of this moment.”
The association noted that the prosecutor’s office has worked with Bruno and “is witness to his love for the Indigenous cause and his dedication to the subject. Dom was a dedicated journalist who knew how to cover Brazilian reality like few others and was concerned about the situation in the country. country.”
“It is necessary to warn that other human rights defenders are also in danger. (…) State institutions, in turn, have never been as fragmented as they are now, which contributes to the encouragement of the practice of environmental crime, land grabbing. We hope that this episode will serve as a warning to Brazil and the world that the protection of the Amazonian and forest peoples depends on specific commitments to the environment, respect for traditional and political communities, effective ways to protect territories. Justice for Bruno and Dom!”
