Just days before the elections in Brazil, the European Parliament summit held a series of meetings this Monday with indigenous leaders in the country to show solidarity with the traditional peoples and declare the rejection of Jair Bolsonaro’s government. The Brazilian was called “irresponsible” and “neofascist” in the European Parliament, in addition to being condemned for his disbanding of Funai and measures to protect human rights.
One of the incidents included a UN rapporteur who accused the Brazilian government of “failure” in protecting indigenous peoples.
A delegation representing the Yanomami, Kayapó, Munduruku and Yekwana peoples was received at the European Parliament in Brussels. Officially, the issue was to complain about the Brazilian government’s default on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ decision of July 2, which gave the Brazilian government until September 20 to take precautionary measures to protect threatened indigenous communities. By illegal mining on the Amazon.
According to the Indians, the Brazilian government did not even make contact with the indigenous peoples, so it ignored the Court’s decision and allowed the deadline to expire without taking the necessary measures.
But the discussion went much further. In a special session of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission chaired by MP Maria Arena, Bolsonaro was widely condemned for his administration. Arena, of Belgian origin, criticized the government for not fulfilling its commitments to human and environmental rights.
German MP Anna Cavazzini briefed on a recent trip to the Amazon and denounced the contagion of illegal mining as well as attacks on indigenous groups.
“The next government – and we hope it will be another government – needs to re-demarcate the lands. This is the ultimate protection for indigenous people and the environment,” he said. “Bolsonaro has had the resources for monitoring and control and the new government needs to change that. The European Commission can help and we need to review the environmental legislation that Bolsonaro has weakened,” he warned.
Representative Isabel Santos also condemned violence against indigenous peoples, with 176 murders in 2021. “This was a government based on hate speech and uncontrolled land exploitation,” the MP said, warning about the dissolution of Funai.
“Given this situation, we have only one choice: talks between Europe and Brazil need to be adjusted to this reality. Without international protection this will not be possible,” he warned.
Already Spanish lawmaker Ana Miranda has described Bolsonaro’s government as “neo-fascist” and warned that it was the government itself that did not allow Europe to send a delegation to watch the elections this Sunday. “We wanted to send a delegation. But he (Bolsonaro) didn’t want to,” she denounced.
Mariza Matias, a Portuguese MP, also called for the reaffirmation of trade agreements between Mercosur and Europe to ensure environmental control measures.
For MP Jordi Solé, Bolsonaro was a “disaster” in his actions to protect indigenous people and the environment. “There was a conscious policy to show a framework that was built to protect the rights of Indigenous people and that accommodated economic interests. We expect a change in the short term.
The European Commission has made clear the “drama of the situation” in Brazil and the “deterioration” of the situation of indigenous peoples. “This is a matter of great concern to us”, the bloc’s executive arm declared. According to the commission, Brussels questioned the Brazilian government at the highest level.
Brazil will need a more global response to ensure a response to violence, according to the executive branch, and warns that the government is failing to act to meet the commitments it has made at the UN.
UN rapporteurs also criticized Bolsonaro
José Francisco Cali, the UN rapporteur on indigenous peoples’ rights, also attended the meeting and denounced non-territorial demarcation, the criminalization of indigenous peoples, the liquidation of Funai and impunity. According to him, the government “failed to protect the indigenous population from illegal invasions”.
UN environmental issues rapporteur Marco Orellana also accused Bolsonaro of adopting “irresponsible behaviour”.
The Indigenous people were also received by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola in Brussels. The complaint was also forwarded to the head of the European Commission’s South America Division, the bloc’s executive arm.
The delegation includes Maurício Yekwana, president of the Hutukara association that brought together the Yanomami and Yekwana, as well as Patxon Metuktire, the representative of the associations that brought together Kayapó, and chief Yabuti Metuktire, who represents the entire Alliance that brought together. a relative of the four peoples and chief Raoni.
The traditional indigenous leader, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is unable to take the post because he had surgery last week.
The pressure on the government will continue Tuesday, this time at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
At the official UN session, Maurício Yekwana warned of the worsening of “the situation of violence, environmental destruction and impunity” in Yanomami indigenous lands, while Patxon Metuktire will seek support from the international community so that Indians can “live in peace” because they do not constitute an obstacle to development”.
Indigenous people will present the plight of human rights abuses in the Brazilian Amazon at a special event organized by an unjust NGO at UN headquarters. They will also be acknowledged by UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples Cali Tzay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Hernan Vales and UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances Marcos Orelllana for mercury pollution. due to illegal mining.
The indigenous mission No Peace Without Justice is supported by Amigos da Terra – Amazônia Brasileira, Instituto Raoni, Instituto Kabu and the Hutukara association.
source: Noticias
