The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has demanded “solid” action from Brazilian authorities and the government of Jair Bolsonaro, speed and full resources to find native Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips. They’ve been missing on Amazon since the start of the week.
The agency’s spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, said in a press release in Geneva this Friday that she is concerned about “the constant attacks and persecution faced by human rights defenders, environmentalists and journalists in Brazil.”
On Thursday night, Amazonas Justice ordered the provisional arrest of Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, known as Pelado, who is suspected of involvement in the disappearance. Human rights organizations and indigenous leaders have criticized the government’s failure to act faster, as well as the lack of tools and resources to conduct the search.
“We are concerned about the continuing lack of information about the location and well-being of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous rights activist Bruno Araújo Pereira in Vale do Javari,” the UN spokesperson said. “Our South America regional office is monitoring the situation closely,” he said.
According to the UN, the Javari Valley is the second largest indigenous region in Brazil and is believed to have one of the highest concentrations of non-contact indigenous tribes in the world. But it warns: “The region is also severely affected by illegal smuggling, mining and fishing, and is allegedly suffering from increased activity by armed groups.”
According to the UN, Phillips and Pereira “played important roles in raising awareness and defending the human rights of indigenous peoples in the region, including monitoring and reporting illegal activity in the Javari Valley.” “Pereira has reportedly received threats regarding her work in defending indigenous peoples and the environment,” he said.
A spokesperson for the party insisted on calling for action. “We urge the Brazilian authorities to redouble their efforts to find Phillips and Pereira,” the official said, adding that quick action is essential to ensure their lives and safety.
Requires assets, tools, and resources
“Therefore, it is crucial that authorities at the federal and local levels respond robustly and swiftly, including making full use of the available tools and specialized resources necessary to effectively search the remote area in question,” he said.
If he blames UN officials, he also praises “civil society groups that coordinated efforts to locate the two men, including sending search and rescue missions to the area.”
For business, this is not an isolated situation. “We also stress our concern over the wider range of continued attacks and persecution faced by human rights defenders, environmentalists and journalists in Brazil,” the spokesperson said.
“The authorities have a responsibility to protect them and to ensure that they can exercise their rights, including freedom of expression and association, free from attacks and threats,” he said.
“We also reiterate our calls for the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples in the country, especially those in voluntary isolation or first contact. Authorities should take appropriate measures to ensure their rights to land, land and traditional livelihoods while protecting them.” Against all forms of violence and discrimination by both state and non-state actors.
The indigenous issue has become one of the main points of international organization’s criticism of the Brazilian government in recent years.
Since 2019, UOL has had access to several letters sent by the UN to President Bolsonaro demanding answers in the face of threats to indigenous peoples.
Previously, Brazil had been warned by the UN on different occasions about the violence in the Javari Valley region, where British Dom Phillips and Brazilian native Bruno Pereira disappeared this week.
In two communiqués of 2017 and 2020, international organizations condemned the unnecessary invasions and urged the Brazilian state to take action. The UN also warned that it is the state’s responsibility to ensure the safety of indigenous people and other social actors in the region.
The UN’s request resonated internally, with Funai officials calling for increased security and greater state presence to be mandated by the Executive. As of 2018 and 2019, reports suggest that the violence has taken on a new dimension, and yet Planalto Palace has chosen not to respond to requests from locals. In recent months, the indigenous question has become the target of constant questioning by the UN, condemning the current Brazilian government’s negligence.
However, one of the warnings, specifically about Vale do Javari, was issued five years ago. At the time, the IACHR (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights) and the South America Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed their “concern” at the near-peak massacre of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation. On the banks of the Jandiatuba River, in the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land.
At that time, international organizations asked Brazil to implement “immediate measures to carry out actions to detect and monitor the territorial movements of peoples on indigenous soils, in access control, constant surveillance and isolation.” The aim will be “voluntary isolation and protecting first-contact indigenous communities and their lands and territories from attacks or acts of violence by third parties”.
IACHR and the UN also asked the country “to take measures to prevent and respond to illegal mining, agriculture, hunting, fishing and illegal logging on indigenous lands under analysis”. Recognizing the military’s role in combating the presence of illegal miners on the Jandiatuba River, the party pressed for expansion of efforts.
source: Noticias
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