The disappearances of British journalist Dom Phillips and local writer Bruno Pereira in the Amazon threaten to increase international pressure on Jair Bolsonaro’s government, as it is interpreted by authorities as a seal to violence in the region. The assessment is by seasoned Brazilian negotiators and diplomats, who are still waiting for positive news about the expedition’s whereabouts. Within Itamaraty, the case is being viewed with “concern” given the outside influence the case may have gained, including being an election year.

The news came at a sensitive time for Brazilian diplomacy. The OECD is holding its annual meeting in Paris this week and plans to discuss Brazil’s participation. Although there is no date for finalizing the process, European negotiators have stated that without Brazil’s real commitment to deforestation in the Amazon and the defense of indigenous lands, there will be no real progress in negotiations. country entry.

Ministers such as Paulo Guedes (Economy) and José Carlos Oliveira (Labor) will be in Paris to lead the lobby for the country’s participation. However, Itamaraty officials admit that the global projection of reports of a stranger’s disappearance “doesn’t help” the credible process.

Nor does the news help the agenda that Jair Bolsonaro hopes to keep in the United States during the Summit of the Americas, which begins Wednesday. Palácio do Planalto’s fear is that the president will be blamed while visiting the United States.

If the area is the focus of intense violence and the frequent deaths of local leaders, the government knows that an incident with a reporter from one of the world’s largest newspapers will have a different effect. The UN, the Inter-American Commission and activists have been warning for months about impunity for crimes in the region. But the possibility of a disappearance of this magnitude would lead to greater mobilization.

According to veteran diplomats, the case of the two disappeared reopens, the scene of the death of the American missionary Dorothy Stang, who died in Pará in 2005. The case had international repercussions and was an embarrassment to the government abroad. At that time, documents revealed that the US government doubted the capacity of the Brazilian justice system.

On February 22, 2005, a cable from U.S. diplomacy stated in cables released by the Wikileaks group that Americans had “serious concerns that police might compromise improper connections with large landowners involved in illegal land grabs and deforestation in the region.” The then-Minister of Justice, Marcio Thomas Bastos, was pressured, and even the FBI’s involvement in investigations in Brazil was in question.

In the 1970s, in the midst of the dictatorship, the cases of tortured European students or activists also turned into diplomatic crises for the regime.

In case of disappearance this week, the fear is that the case could spark debate about the lack of control that exists in the region, the lawless land the Amazon has transformed, and the role of political leaders in fomenting the attacks.

For former Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira, the case has the potential to be “catastrophic” for Brazil.

Maria Laura Canineu, director of Human Rights Watch’s Brazil office, said the organization was “very concerned”. “It is extremely important that the Brazilian authorities dedicate all available and necessary resources to conduct searches promptly to ensure the safety of the two persons as soon as possible,” he said.

The British newspaper said in a statement that it “condemned all forms of violence against journalists and press workers”.

In Itamaraty, sources confirmed to the column that there is a mobilization to try to find the two missing persons in different parts of the government.