Today on the anniversary of the killing of Bruno Periera and Dom Phillips, Amazon Watch is in solidarity with the Indigenous communities of the Javari Valley and the family members remembering their tragic loss and celebrating their lives’ commitment to defending Indigenous rights and the Amazon rainforest.
As with all cases of homicides of rainforest defenders and truth-tellers, we demand that Brazilian authorities identify the root causes behind the threats and violence against Earth Defenders in the Javari and across the Amazon. It’s time to end the cycle of impunity for the threats, attacks, and murders. Beyond this particular case, true justice means proactively protecting Indigenous communities at risk and preventing future deaths.
In the face of persistent threats to the Amazon and Indigenous people, the international community should support Indigenous organizations and their community-led collective protection measures like the Javari Valley Indigenous monitoring and surveillance initiatives, implemented by organizations such as UNIJAVA. To honor the lives of Dom, Bruno, and Earth Defenders on the front lines, we must unite and take action to prevent further loss of life.
Eliesio Marubo, a legal prosecutor for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (UNIVAJA), has stated, “Our focus must not be limited to the direct perpetrators of crimes, but also extend to those endorsing predatory activities in the Javari Valley. We must scrutinize the group that provides political support for illegal activities in the region, as well as track the progression of crime. It’s imperative that our investigation of these two key areas is comprehensive to ensure security for both Indigenous lands and neighboring communities. There is an urgent need for better coordination of state policies to safeguard native populations in the Javari Valley.”
Currently, three people accused of involvement in the killings are in custody awaiting trial. Three weeks ago, the former president of Funai, Marcelo Xavier, was indicted for neglect in the case. The former vice president, Alcir Amaral Teixeira, was also indicted. The Federal Police believe that the agency took no action after becoming aware of the risks the Indigenous rights advocate, Bruno, was facing.
Joenia Wapichana, the president of Brazil’s National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI), stresses the need to strengthen structures and ensure a more permanent policy in the region. To accomplish this, the agency is adjusting a cooperation agreement between Indigenous organizations and relying on the assistance of the entire government. “We need to invest so that there is a priority to strengthen these phases, allowing other agencies and ministries to share the responsibility for a more permanent protection policy. There should also be respect for these rights by the [the Brazilian government] on Indigenous lands,” Wapichana states.
Last Friday, June 2, 2023, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples established a working group to combat crime in the region. The group will comprise ten ministries, FUNAI, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), and representatives from the Federal Public Ministry, the Union Public Defender’s Office, the Association of Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples,and UNIVAJA itself.
Today, June 5, 2023, the date that marks not only the assassination of Dom and Bruno but also World Environment Day, the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, Eloy Terena, together with the National Secretary for Drug Policy of the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety, Marta Machado, launched an unprecedented initiative. Together, in a panel that included Joenia Wapichana and Eliesio Marubo, as well as Ana Carolina Alfinito, Amazon Watch Legal Advisor, and Beatriz Matos, Bruno Pereira’s widow and the head of the Department of Territorial Protection and Isolated and Newly-Contacted Indigenous Peoples, they launched the National Strategy for Mitigating and Redressing the Impacts of Drug Trafficking on Territories and Indigenous and Minority Populations.
Today, June 5, 2023, a date that marks not only the assassination of Dom and Bruno but also World Environment Day, the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, Eloy Terena, together with the National Secretary for Drug Policy of the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety, Marta Machado, launched an unprecedented initiative. Together, in a panel that included Joenia Wapichana and Eliesio Marubo, as well as and Beatriz Matos, Bruno Pereira’s widow and the head of the Department of Territorial Protection and Isolated and Newly-Contacted Indigenous Peoples, they launched the National Strategy for Mitigating and Redressing the Impacts of Drug Trafficking on Territories and Indigenous and Minority Populations. After the panel, the Minister of Justice organized the workshop “Drug Trafficking, Crime and Violence in the Amazon”, which counted with the participation of Amazon Watch Legal Advisor, Ana Carolina Alfinito.
These governmental initiatives are a big step, but the task of combating organized crime and drug trafficking while expanding the protection of Indigenous peoples is immense and expensive in border regions and dense rainforests, especially after six years of neglect by the governments of former Brazilian presidents Temer and Bolsonaro, when the region became lawless land. At this moment, more than ever, public pressure from civil society and international solidarity is essential. On this day, as mobilizations organized by friends, family, UNIVAJA, and Dom Phillips’s widow, Alessandra Sampaio, mark one year without Dom and Bruno, we say that they will not be forgotten, and we will carry on their mission!
