International pressure is mounting against President Jair Bolsonaro and the absence of policies to guarantee the lives of indigenous people in the face of the miners’ occupation, often promoted by Planalto Palace’s allies.
Considering that the measures taken by the government were “inadequate” to defend indigenous peoples, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has asked the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to take urgent measures to ensure the lives of Yanomami members. Indigenous Peoples, Ye `Kwana and Munduruku.
It is the first time in Bolsonaro’s government that a foreign agency has been summoned to an international court to demand that the Brazilian state determine its obligation to take immediate action to protect indigenous people.
Interim measures are recommended in the process of considering a case and in the event that the government reacts inadequately, threatens to cause irreparable harm to victims and represents an extremely serious situation. In the case of indigenous people, this will happen because of the existence of groups that illegally exploit the natural resources in their area.
In 2020, the Inter-American Commission issued precautionary measures in light of the serious and urgent risks they face in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the government did not choose to follow the agency’s recommendations, and the violence continued.
“During the validity of the safeguard measures, the Commission has received information pointing to an exponential increase in the presence of unauthorized third parties, particularly mining and logging, on said indigenous lands,” the Commission said in a statement released this Wednesday.
According to him, the Yanomami, Ye`kwana, and Munduruku indigenous people are subject to threats and violent attacks, including health effects from rape, malaria, and the spread of diseases such as COVID-19, in the context of poor medical care. Alleged mercury contamination from mining in the area.
“The information presented shows that acts of violence, killings and threats in indigenous communities continue, or even worsen,” he said. For the commission, in addition to death threats and actual killings of indigenous peoples, there are high levels of reported violence, frequent use of firearms and gunfire.
According to the commission, the Brazilian State sent information about the protection measures taken. But the regional body’s finding is that the measures announced by the government will be “inadequate” given the worsening of reported risk events.
“During the nearly two years that the precautionary measures were in place, there is no information on how the actions undertaken by the state effectively protected the indigenous peoples proposed to be beneficiaries,” he said.
According to the process, the risk situation worsens and triggers serious violence. “Under these circumstances, the Commission considers that the rights of members of the Yanomami, Ye`kwana and Munduruku Indigenous Peoples are at risk of extreme and immediate irreparable harm,” he said. protect the proposed beneficiaries,” he explains.
The Commission requests the Court to require the State of Brazil to:
A) Take the necessary measures to protect the right to life, personal integrity and health of the Yanomami, Ye`kwana and Munduruku Indigenous Peoples described in this request, from a culturally appropriate perspective, gender and age approach, to implement effective measures against threats, intimidation and acts of violence, including measures necessary for the continuation of pollution;
B) take culturally appropriate measures to prevent the spread of diseases and reduce transmission and contamination, providing them with adequate medical care in conditions of availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality in accordance with applicable international standards;
C) Agree on the measures to be taken with the beneficiaries and their representatives;
D) To investigate the facts that gave rise to the current request for interim measures and thus report the actions taken to prevent their recurrence. internal authorities directly responsible for the implementation of existing interim measures, as part of appropriate follow-up measures for the effective implementation of existing interim measures. IACHR is ready to attend the visit within its mandate before the Continental Court;
AND). Furthermore, the Inter-American Commission requests the Court to conduct an on-site visit to confirm the status of these Indigenous Peoples.
source: Noticias
