A new short film about the struggle to defend the Xingu River and its people from the Belo Monte Dam and the Brazilian government's development plans for the Amazon.
All: 2012
Peru Indigenous Group Takes Over Maple Energy Wells
Reuters | Lizardo Cauper, a leader of the Shipibo indigenous people, said some 400 locals peacefully occupied nine company wells on their ancestral land. He said they will continue to hold them until the government forces Maple Energy to clean up a series of oil spills.
Hundreds of Indigenous Shipibo Occupy Maple Energy Oil Wells
The Shipibo are demanding a solution to the ongoing contamination and related health problems caused by oil drilling by Maple Energy in Ucayali province in the Peruvian Amazon.
Mystery Surrounds Reported Massacre of Yanomami Village
IPS | Up to 80 Yanomami men, women and children in a remote community in the Amazon jungle in southern Venezuela were reportedly killed in early July by wildcat gold miners from Brazil, according to indigenous organisations.
No End To Brazil's "Pandora Dam" Drama
Forbes | Brazil's "Pandora Dam" in the middle of the Amazon is the most schizophrenic and controversial hydroelectric power project on this green earth. It's up. It's down. It's on. It's off. So far this year, the Belo Monte has been shut down four times.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Federal Public Prosecutors Appeal to Supreme Court to Maintain Suspension of Belo Monte
Chief Justice will need to reconsider decision or allow vote by full Supreme Court
Brasilia, Brazil – The Federal Public Prosecutors’ Office (Ministério Público Federal - MPF) filed an appeal today with the Brazilian Supreme Court to stop construction of the Belo Monte Dam until consultations are held with indigenous people affected by the project.
Work to Resume on Brazil's Belo Monte Dam
BBC News | The preliminary ruling, passed on Monday by the Supreme Court, overturns a federal court ruling earlier this month which argued that local communities should have had the right to voice their opinion on the environmental impact of the project before it was passed by Congress.
Supreme Court Judge Overturns Suspension of Belo Monte Dam
Brazilian Supreme Court Caves to Executive Pressure
Brasilia, Brazil – The Brazilian Supreme Court has overturned the suspension of the Belo Monte Dam, caving to pressure from President Dilma Rousseff's administration without giving appropriate consideration to indigenous rights implications of the case.
Judge Overturns Suspension of Brazil's Belo Monte Dam
Reuters | Brazilia, Brazil – A Brazilian judge said on Monday construction could resume on the controversial $13 billion Belo Monte dam in the Amazon, overturning an order by a lower court that had suspended work last week but still has to consider the merits of the case. The lower court had called for an immediate halt to construction after years of...
Urge Brazil's Chief Justice to Continue the Suspension of the Belo Monte Dam
Send an email now calling on Chief Justice Ayres Britto to respect the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Xingu and to continue the suspension of the Belo Monte Dam.
Norte Energia Suspends Work on Brazil's Belo Monte Dam
Dow Jones Newswires | Sao Paulo, Brazil – Following a Brazilian court order to stop construction, the company building the controversial 11,200-megawatt Belo Monte dam said Thursday that it was suspending all work on the project.
Belo Monte Halted: Norte Energia's Lies and Our Demands to Reverse the Damage Done
The decision partially upheld an appeal by the Federal Public Ministry and annulled one of the biggest affronts to the Federal Constitution and to the International Labor Organization Convention 169 committed by the Brazilian government in the last years.
Sarayaku Celebrates Human Rights Victory
On the heels of their victory before the Inter-American Human Rights Court of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Kichwa of Sarayaku held a major celebration over the weekend on their rainforest lands.
Historic Day of Celebration in Sarayaku about the IACHR Sentence
We, as the legitimate authorities and governors of our territories, reaffirm the full exercise of our constitutional collective rights that guarantee the continuity of our identity and the territorial life spaces of the Selva Viviente (Living Jungle).
Brazil Court Orders Work on Amazon Dam Suspended
AFP | Brasilia, Brazil – A federal court in Brazil on Tuesday ordered that work on the huge Belo Monte dam in the Amazon be suspended, saying native communities affected by the controversial hydroelectric project must be heard.
Court Suspends Amazon Dam Construction
Brazilian judge rules environmental and rights activists' concerns regarding massive $11bn project must be addressed
Al Jazeera | A federal judge in Brazil has suspended construction work on a massive dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. In a statement released on Tuesday, Judge Souza Prudente said that work could only resume after the indigenous communities living in the area were consulted.
Belo Monte Dam Suspended by Brazilian Appeals Court
"Human rights and environmental protection cannot be subordinated to narrow business interests."
Altamira, Brazil – A high-level court yesterday suspended construction of the controversial Belo Monte dam project on the Amazon's Xingu River, citing overwhelming evidence that indigenous people had not been properly consulted prior to government approval of the project.
Belo Monte's Latest Legal Challenge – Will It Stand?
I don't want to be pessimistic, but I'm a Brazilian lawyer, and I have lost faith in our justice system. We should all hope that this decision will endure, but be prepared that at any minute, it can again be overturned.
Chevron's Disaster at Home
In case anyone didn't get the message that Chevron has a reckless attitude with regard to environmental safety and responsibility, the explosion and fire Monday night at its refinery in Richmond has provided a smoky, toxic answer.
Struggle in the Amazon: The Clash between Energy and the Environment
United Nations | To meet growing demand, Brazil is harnessing hydroelectric energy and building dams, some among the largest in the world. But not everyone is happy about it.
Governments Prioritize Profit Over Indigenous Peoples' Rights
Amnesty International | Governments across the Americas are putting profit before the physical and cultural survival of thousands of Indigenous peoples, said Amnesty International in a briefing paper published ahead of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples.
Support the Achuar Any Way You Can
After observing the Achuar's peaceful and pure way of living off the land and how they care for the rainforest, I am deeply moved and inspired to help however I can in their fight to get Talisman to leave the Amazon and their lives in peace. Please join me in this fight.
Sarayaku to Their Allies: "Thank You"
Amazon Watch has been proud to accompany the Kichwa indigenous people of Sarayaku. In the wake of the historic sentence coming forth from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, our colleagues in Sarayaku issued the following expression of appreciation for all the solidarity they have felt over the years.
Special Report: Brazil Backslides on Protecting the Amazon
Reuters | In the 19 months since Rousseff took office, longstanding rules that curtail deforestation and protect millions of square kilometres of watershed have been rolled back.
Looking Back at Rio+20 & the Xingu Occupation
Initially, my plan wasn't to disrupt the meeting, but I couldn't bite my tongue as claims were made about Brazil achieving "zero deforestation" with a great sustainable development plan. So I stood up and told the truth.
FUNAI Threatens to Allow Definitive Damming of the Xingu in the Absence of Agreement
The controversy over authorization of the definitive damming of the Xingu River will be defined next week by Brazil's national indigenous agency without the agreements being approved by the indigenous peoples.
Court Favors Indigenous in Struggle Against Oil Drilling
Inter-American Human Rights Court finds Ecuadorean govt guilty of violating physical and cultural wellbeing of the Sarayaku people
Earth Island Journal | "When I heard about the court's decision, I cried," said Cristina Gualinga. "I thought, 'After fighting for so long, after 30 years of invasions, the companies are finally going to leave us alone'."
Occupy the Dam: Brazil's Indigenous Uprising
In the Amazonian backcountry, tribes are challenging construction of the world's third-largest dam – by dismantling it. Here's what they can teach us about standing up to power.
Yes! Magazine | Last month, hundreds of indigenous demonstrators began dismantling a dam in the heart of Brazil's rainforest to protest the destruction it will bring to lands they have loved and honored for centuries.
The Importance of the Sarayaku Case for Indigenous Rights in the Americas
Mario Melo, lawyer of the Kichwa people of Sarayaku shares some initial reflections
After almost a decade of litigation, the international justice system has ruled in favor of an indigenous nation whose territory, life and culture were threatened by an oil project imposed on them by the state.
