Bruno Pereira and Dom Philips: act marks one year of the deaths – 05/06/2023 – Daily life

Family members and friends of Bruno Pereira and Dom Philips held an act this Monday (5th) on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, to commemorate the one year since the murders of the indigenist and the British journalist in the Javari Valley, in Amazonas. Demonstrations also take place in other cities in the country, such as Brasília and Salvador.

The protest was marked by criticism that, a year after the deaths, measures were not taken to protect indigenous lands.

“They’re still banging their heads. They didn’t actually take effective measures. The Brazilian State owes the world an explanation, because the world was moved by these murders”, said Beto Marubo, leader of Univaja (Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley), organization in which Bruno also worked.

The group also cited recent setbacks, such as the approval of the time frame bill in the Chamber of Deputies and the weakening of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, which, with the approval of the Esplanada MP, lost competence for land demarcation.

Marubo defended that the Senate reject the bill of the time frame and recalled the suggestions presented by Univaja during the transition of government.

“It is necessary to have the presence of the State, Funai, the Army, Ibama and the National Force [no local]. Funai structures are precarious in the region. Funai is in shambles, with an outdated organizational chart, and Congress has shattered the work of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. This will lead to further setbacks,” said Marubo.

At the ceremony, Alessandra Sampaio, widow of Dom Philips, said that the groups investigated and denounced by the journalist are still active in the region, even after investigations by the Federal Police.

“Brazil continues to consume gold from the Yanomami land. It continues to consume meat that came from the deforestation of the Amazon. There, they continue to work with illegal wood, trafficking in wild animals, in addition to the issue of drug trafficking, which has completely lost control. It is an unfair fight, because they are well armed. It was an intentional lack of inspection by the last government for four years”, said Alessandra, in criticism of the policies of the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

“I didn’t want to be here saying this. It’s an uncomfortable position, because I lost the love of my life”, added Alessandra, who announced last week the creation of an NGO in homage to Bishop Philips.

Other Brazilian cities, such as Brasília, Belém (PA) —on Sunday (4)— and Atalaia do Norte (AM), also recorded acts in memory of the duo. At Unicamp (State University of Campinas), professors and students spoke about the relationship between Bruno and Dom’s work and preservation in the Amazon.

Main Matis, a history student and born in the Javari Valley, spoke about an episode in which they hunted together in the region.

“I met Bruno in 2009, when I was ten years old, where I lived. My father was a chief and called Bruno to go hunting in the bush. On his way back, he said ‘Main, Main, call your father’, and he said that everything was fine, but that he had lost his glasses,” said the student. “To this day, this place is called the hunting path where Bruno lost his glasses, as a tribute to him.”

In London, Dom’s family participated in an event organized by the Brazil Matters collective. “I’ve met incredible people this past year,” said Sian Phillips, the journalist’s sister.

“In a conversation organized by the [ONG] Survival International, Olímpio Guajajara said that we need to fall in love with the Amazon all over again. It stuck with me because Dom’s last words on his Instagram profile were ‘Amazônia, you beautiful!'”.

Amnesty International released a note with ten questions about the case to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, in which it asks for the disclosure of the lines of investigation into the masterminds of the crime and the measures adopted by the State to protect the Univaja indigenous people, who are under threat.

Greenpeace Brasil, on the other hand, stated, also in a note, that the time frame, which should be judged by the Federal Supreme Court on Wednesday (7), is an affront to the memory of the indigenist.

“The time frame is a disrespect to those who fell defending these lands, like Bruno, and so many others, like the journalist Dom Phillips.”

PF INDICATE TWO MORE SUSPECTS

The Federal Police indicted two more suspects for the murders of Bruno and Dom. The information was released this Sunday (4) by Fantástico this Sunday (4). Those indicted are Rubem Villar, Colombia, investigated as the mastermind of the crime, and fisherman Jânio Freitas de Souza.

Colombia is suspected of leading a criminal organization of illegal fishing in the region of the Indigenous Land Vale do Javari, on the border of Brazil with Peru and Colombia. He was arrested in July 2022 for ideological falsehood.

Jânio is part of this organization, as well as Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, known as Pelado, one of the defendants in the case and who is also in prison. Pelado and Jefferson da Silva Lima confessed to the murders. The third defendant arrested is Oseney de Olivera (of the Saints).

In May, the three defendants gave online testimonies to the Federal Court of Tabatinga (AM). The hearing opened the procedural phase, which will decide whether the accused go to a popular jury.