Facade of the headquarters building of the Federal Supreme Court – STF| Photo: Marcello Casal Jr/Agência Brasil

The Federal Supreme Court (STF) must investigate indications that the Bolsonaro government presented false information to the Court about the situation of the Yanomami indigenous people. The information was disclosed by CNN Brasil. Last week, the Ministry of Health declared a public health emergency in Terra Yanomami, which is home to around 30,000 people, in Roraima.

The Court must investigate the issue within the scope of processes that have been in progress since 2020, under the rapporteurship of Minister Luís Roberto Barroso. The STF assesses that the non-compliance with decisions handed down by the ministers by the federal authorities has aggravated the situation of the indigenous people.

In these processes before the Court, the Union stated that it carried out food and nutritional surveillance actions, health in general and to combat malaria among the Yanomami people. In addition, the government allegedly declared that it carried out “operations to repress illegal mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land”.

However, the operations, especially the most recent ones, would not have followed the planning determined by the STF and occurred with deficiencies, such as the creation of sanitary barriers to contain Covid-19 determined by Barroso.

This Monday (23), the Chamber of Indigenous Populations and Traditional Communities of the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) stated, in a note, that “the serious health and food safety situation suffered by the Yanomami peoples results from the failure of the Brazilian State to ensure the protection of their lands”.