Minister Sônia Guajajara, of Indigenous Peoples, also criticized the changes made to the text of the MP.| Photo: Lula Marques/Agência Brasil

The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) criticized, on Wednesday night (24), the possible transfer of the attribution of demarcation of indigenous lands from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples to the Ministry of Justice, foreseen in the new text of the provisional measure that reorganized the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT). The MP is about to expire and should be voted on in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies this Thursday (25) or next week.

According to the prosecution, the change made by the rapporteur for federal deputy Isnaldo Bulhões (MDB-AL) constitutes a “worrisome legal setback in the guarantee and protection of territorial rights”. The measure was heavily criticized by Minister Sônia Guajajara throughout the day.

“The alteration of this attribution constitutes a worrying legal setback in the guarantee and protection of territorial rights, representing a real attack on the achievements of the indigenous movement”, he says in a note (see in full).

The note points out that the Federal Constitution of 1988 recognized the original right of indigenous peoples over the lands they traditionally occupy and established a period of five years for the Union to complete the demarcation. For the prosecution, the creation of a specialized ministry represented progress towards the realization of the right to the traditional lands of the indigenous people.

The Chamber of Deputies also approved, on Wednesday (24), an urgent request for the project that intends to enact the thesis on the time frame for the demarcation of indigenous lands into law. With this, the text will be analyzed in plenary next Tuesday (30).