More About Mining

Armed Conflict With Illegal Miners and Indigenous People Signals Risk of Imminent Massacre, According to Yanomami

Brasilia, Brazil – Illegal miners in seven boats with weapons of different calibers attacked the Palimiú village within the Yanomami Indigenous Land, the largest in Brazil, yesterday in Roraima. The Yanomami struck back with arrows and shotguns. The actual number of injuries and possible deaths is not yet known.

The Association of Brazil's Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Leader Sonia Guajajara Once Again Face Persecution by Bolsonaro

"Amazon Watch expresses complete support for our partner, a leader, and an example of the struggle for the rights of Indigenous peoples: Sonia Guajajara. We also extend our solidarity and support to APIB who tirelessly defend fundamental rights and democracy in Brazil against a government that today is known for its relentless attacks on Indigenous peoples and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest," said Ana Paula Vargas, Brazil Program Director of Amazon Watch.

Statement on Bolsonaro's Speech at the Leaders Summit on Climate

Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director of Amazon Watch made the following statement about Bolsonaro's speech: "Bolsonaro once again lied to the international community. He said he strengthened regulatory bodies to protect the environment, when in fact, he weakened them. Bolsonaro boasted about increasing the budget of these regulatory bodies when in fact, Ibama (Brazil's environmental agency) and FUNAI (the country's national Indigenous agency) were strangled financially by the Bolsonaro administration and prevented from taking action to stop deforestation and other threats to the Amazon rainforest.”

Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Jane Fonda, Mark Ruffalo, Rosario Dawson, Alyssa Milano, Joaquin Phoenix, Misha Collins, Caetano Veloso, and Gilberto Gil Among Celebrities Demanding Biden Not Broker Any Deals with Bolsonaro on the Amazon Rainforest

The letter from artists to President Biden comes days before Earth Day Leader's Climate Summit, following rumors of a planned announcement on deal with Brazil's president

Washington, D.C. – Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Uzo Aduba, Jane Fonda, Mark Ruffalo, Rosario Dawson, Alyssa Milano, Orlando Bloom, Joaquin Phoenix, Sigourney Weaver, Misha Collins, Sônia Braga, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Alice Braga, Wagner Moura, and Fernando Meirelles are among a growing list of international artists supporting demands from Brazil and the U.S. calling on Biden to choose: the Amazon rainforest or Bolsonaro.

U.S. Representatives to Biden Administration: Speak Up for Indigenous Rights in the Brazilian Amazon

U.S. congresspeople express their deep concern for the dangerous situation facing Brazill’s Munduruku Indigenous people and encourage the Biden Administration to add its voice

Washington, DC – The Biden Administration should express concern to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro about the explosive situation facing the Munduruku Indigenous people in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, 12 members of the U.S. House of Representatives said today in a letter to U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Todd Chapman, led by Rep Raúl Grijalva (Arizona).

Attack on Brazilian Indigenous Women's Association Signals Dangerous Escalation

Jacareacanga, Pará, Brazil – The Munduruku people of the Amazon's upper Tapajós valley are facing escalating threats by armed illegal "wildcat" miners, known as garimpeiros. Yesterday, the Wakoborun Association office in Jacareacanga, Pará state, was attacked, burned, and defaced. The violence occurred shortly after a protest organized by garimpeiros, who also made death threats to Indigenous women who are opposed to mining.

Statement on Monitoring Illegal Mining Activities in Our Baunilha Stream

We urgently demand that government agencies comply with their constitutional duties. If something happens to our people, we blame the Brazilian government. Even after receiving numerous reports of invasions and destruction of our territory in the middle of a pandemic, it fails to act and allows our people to be killed at the hands of a heavily armed criminal gang, associated with a few Indigenous individuals involved in mining activities.