Paris, France – Brazil's polemic Belo Monte dam faced fresh protests in Europe this week marked by a Brussels conference where EU Green Party Parliamentarians and diverse dam opponents sparred with leading Brazilian government officials. Protest activities then shifted to Paris where today's street demonstrations and public events led by...
BNDES
Brazilian Activists Bring Their Fire to Europe, Condemning Belo Monte
This week the global polemic surrounding Brazil's Belo Monte dam returns to Europe with a high-profile conference in the European Parliament in Brussels followed by major protests and public events in Paris.
Update! Belo Monte Dam Construction Suspended Again
Last week a Federal Regional Court suspended the installation license and ruled that BNDES should not transfer further resources to Norte Energia until 40 conditions are met.
Brazilian Court Blocks Controversial Dam
Latin American Herald Tribune | Sao Paulo, Brazil – Brazil's first regional federal court suspended the environmental permit for the massive Belo Monte dam project in Amazonia and ordered an immediate halt to construction.
Brazilian Federal Court Rules for Public Scrutiny over BNDES Loans
Unprecedented decision calls for transparency in use of taxpayer funds
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – A federal appeals court based in Rio de Janeiro has ruled that the Brazilian National Development Bank must publicly disclose technical reports used for justifying approval of major loans.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Tapajos: Public Consultation? More of a PR Exercise
Latin America Bureau | At the outset, the public was told firmly that no spontaneous contributions from the floor would be accepted. Only written questions would be allowed, but no instructions were given on when or how to hand over questions. As far as I could see, no one from the back of the stadium submitted a question, which was not surprising given that many of the...
Groups Protest World Bank Support for Destructive Dams and Fossil Fuels
Civil Society Alliance Demands Clean Local Power for the Poor
Washington, DC – The World Bank should shift its energy lending away from dirty power plants toward clean local energy for the poor, a coalition of civil society organizations said today during a protest outside the Bank's annual meeting.
Belo Sun No!
Stop further tragedy on the Xingu River
Together with our partners in Brazil, Canada, the United States, and Europe, we are standing against Canadian mining company Belo Sun's outrageous scheme to reap massive profits from the social and environmental havoc being caused by Belo Monte.
Canadian Mining Project Seeks License Despite Environmental Irregularities
Global organizations mobilize to oppose Belo Sun mining activities in Brazilian Amazon
Brasilia, Brazil – A broad group of organizations from Brazil, Canada, the United States and Europe joined a campaign in defense of indigenous and traditional communities threatened by Canadian mining company Belo Sun's plans to build Brazil's largest gold mine on the banks of the Amazon's Xingu River.
Making History: Brazil's National Indigenous Mobilization
Participating in Brazil's most significant indigenous mobilization in the last 25 years was an extraordinary opportunity to deliver on our commitment to support the struggle of indigenous peoples in the Amazon.
Notes from Brasilia: Pepper Spray, Turned Away and 513 Years of Fighting for Indigenous Rights
How inspiring it was to hear the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. spoken from the heart of an indigenous warrior as he berated a Brazilian congressman who tried to mislead a crowd.
Brazilian Police Stop Indians from Storming Congress
Reuters | "We have lost lots of land and they want to take away what we have left," said Mayalú Txucarramae, a young Kayapó leader from the Xingú reservation in Mato Grosso state, one of about 1,000 indigenous demonstrators camped out in front of Congress.
Protests Sweep Brazil Demanding End to Attack on Indigenous Rights
Historic mobilization coincides with the 25th anniversary of Brazil's constitution, which affirmed its commitment to indigenous rights
In response to attacks on indigenous peoples' rights and territories by Congress, Brazil's National Indigenous Association called for widespread protests until October 5th.
Massive Indigenous Rights Movement Launches Across Brazil
Protests tackle threatening new laws on Constitution’s 25th anniversary
Brasilia, Brazil – Today hundreds of indigenous peoples representing Brazil's native communities converged on government buildings in the nation's capital to decry unprecedented and growing attacks on their constitutional rights and territories.
Not-So-Clean Hydropower Is Damming Us All
National Geographic | People deserve better reasons to oppose this than, "it will degrade the environment," "it will flood a pretty place," or "we will lose such and such animal or plant." How about this: large dams are societal hazards, pollutants, non-renewable, and economically unsound.
Welcome, Mayalú!
As Mayalú begins her first U.S. tour, she hopes that her travels will further hone her leadership skills, experience and knowledge that will allow her to be a better advocate for defending Brazil's indigenous peoples while demonstrating the universal importance of assisting their struggle.
Indigenous Peoples Renew Occupation of Belo Monte Dam
Local tribes halt construction and demand removal of illegal settlers from territories
Altamira, Brazil – Some 150 indigenous people affected by the construction of the Belo Monte dam complex in the Brazilian Amazon occupied one of the project's principle work camps yesterday, halting construction activities on a section of the world's third largest dam.
Amazon in Focus 2013
Plus Our Annual Financial Report for 2012
2013 follows a remarkable year for Amazon Watch and our partners in 2012: Talisman Energy and Conoco Phillips announced they would cease oil operations and leave the Peruvian Amazon; Belo Monte dam construction was significantly delayed in Brazil; and we celebrated the landmark decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in favor...
Brazil Prosecutors Issue Warning on Belo Sun Gold Project
The Wall Street Journal | Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Brazilian federal prosecutors issued a warning Wednesday that they could seek to block licensing for the country's largest gold-mining project because Canada's Belo Sun Mining Corp. hasn't produced a study explaining its impact on local indigenous communities.
Indigenous Rights Controversies Around Belo Monte Consume Brazilian Judicial System
Dam license could be suspended due to violations of social and environmental conditions
Altamira, Brazil – Recent lawsuits by Brazil's Federal Public Prosecutors concerning the Belo Monte dam are demanding accountability from the dam-building Norte Energia consortium, Brazil's National Development Bank, and the state environmental agency IBAMA for noncompliance with mandated mitigation measures concerning the Juruna and Xikrin...
Voices of the Xingu: A Fisherman's Story
"This wound no longer heals because it is a very deep wound. There is no healing being done for nature, or for our minds. Whoever thinks that Belo Monte is a good project, it is because they do not know this place and have not suffered."
Sex Trafficking Ringmaster Busted on Belo Monte
International Rivers | Police in Brazil have arrested two leaders of a sex trafficking ring that sent adolescent girls and transvestites, some as young as 16, to prostitute themselves to the workers building the Belo Monte Dam.
Indigenous Rights Under Assault in Brazil
How can the Brazilian government justify forcing its native peoples, who were subject to centuries of injustice and genocidal abuse, to continue enduring the brunt of the country's uncontrolled economic expansion against their will?
Voices of the Xingu
Since late June protests across Brazil have not stopped. The voices of people calling for Justice Now! and a halt to construction of the Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River continue to be silenced and ignored. It's time that the voices of the Xingu are heard!
Belo Monte Risks Paralyzation Over Consortium’s Grave Negligence
By disregarding a series of "conditionalities" upon which the project's environmental license was granted, Norte Energia could be sanctioned, forcing the dam's construction to again grind to a halt.
From Brazil, European Greens Condemn Belo Monte
"A project as big as Belo Monte cannot be constructed on a provisional legal basis and by the logic of fait accompli. The Supreme Court is currently shutting up judicial rulings on the basis of a law stemming from dictatorial times."
Brazilian Soldiers and Native Tribespeople Are Clashing in the Amazon
VICE | The occupations of dams and construction sites have been underway since last June, with new demonstrations attracting more tribespeople and local fishermen to protest together in solidarity. However, as the protests – which can last for weeks at a time – become more popular, they are being met with greater resistance from the Brazilian troops and...
Brazil's Hydro Dams Could Make Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Soar
Already a top emitter, Brazil could spew hundreds of millions more tons of gases blamed for climate change, such as CO2 and methane, as it floods Amazon forest for hydro power, researchers say
GlobalPost | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Officials here frequently claim that the huge hydroelectric dams that increasingly dot the Brazilian Amazon are a source of "clean energy." The dams often flood vast areas of rain forest, leading to a major loss of biodiversity and the devastating displacement of indigenous communities from their ancestral lands.
Violence Against Brazil Natives "Up Sharply"
AFP | Violence against indigenous Brazilians more than tripled between 2011 and 2012, often due to land feuds, a new report said.
