London – The information of British journalist Dom Phillips’ wife, Alessandra Sampaio, that the bodies of her husband and local scientist Bruno Araújo Pereira will be found in the Amazon, received international media coverage right after they were released in Brazil. how environmental problems attract attention and paint the country’s image.
Criticism of the Brazilian government’s stance has appeared frequently in the foreign press since the disappearance of the men was announced.
This Monday (13) morning, Dom Philips’ sister, Sian, gave a lengthy interview on the BBC Breakfast morning news on national television about the problems with illegal fishing and drug trafficking.
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Sister talks about Dom Phillips case on BBC prime time
British Philips, who disappeared with an environmentalist in Vale do Javari on June 5, is a famous journalist who travels to the Amazon to research a book.
He has been a reporter for international publications such as The Guardian, The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Inside editorial Last week, The Guardian, with which Phillips collaborated on environmental reporting, said the country was “dangerous” to environmentalists.
Dom’s sister talked about the possibility of the journalist being the victim of an ambush, in an interview with the BBC today on the channel’s main news programme.
On the day of his disappearance, the two men were supposed to meet a community leader in a riverside village.
However, when they arrived, the man was not there, so they went to the city of Atalaia do Norte (AM).
“It looks like it lurked. (…) According to Tom, the days passed. [jornalista britânico baseado no Brasil]They started talking about Dom and Bruno in the past tense, so yeah, I guess [eles morreram]”
‘There seems to be a high probability of an ambush..’
Brazilian police found personal belongings of missing British journalist Dom Phillips and local expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon.
His sister Sian and his partner Paul, #BBCBbreakfasthttps://t.co/6WIlKXtlGj pic.twitter.com/WoqCgYwzrO– BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) 13 June 2022
The international press speaks of the lack of hope regarding the human remains found
Even without official confirmation of the deaths of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, the international press has highlighted the location of human remains near where the men disappeared.
French newspaper Le Monde said that “hope is lost” for their survival after the Federal Police (PF) confirmed that items such as backpacks, shoes and documents were found during searches in the forest.
Le Monde also cites Dominique Davies, the nephew of a journalist who reported to Agence France Presse about the alleged discovery of two bodies. “Although the police in Brazil denied this, they wrote that their relatives were awaiting confirmation that the bodies belonged to the missing.”
Italian vehicle Corriere della Sera reported the location of human remains in the Amazon on Sunday (12). Opening the text with Bolsonaro’s speech, describing the men’s disappearance as an “adventure not recommended”, the newspaper said it was “an open admission of impotence”:
“There are areas in Brazil where the law of the jungle is in effect and the government doesn’t want to do anything. Meanwhile, police found ‘organic, possibly human’ material that will now be tested for DNA in the Itaquai River near the town of Atalaia do Norte.”
The New York Times also published an article about the location of human remains and the items of the missing in the forest.
The American newspaper also asked Brazilian journalist Eliane Brum, “Was the latest victim of Bolsonaro’s war in the Amazon a British journalist?” He published an opinion piece asking.
Was a British Journalist the Latest Victim of Bolsonaro’s War on the Amazon?
By me at The New York Timeshttps://t.co/x47sUFTEtK— Eliane Brum (@brumelianebrum) 12 June 2022
“As I write, Dom and Bruno are still missing. I don’t know what happened to them. They may have been killed or kidnapped. We fear they will never be found,” Eliane complains.
Spaniard El País, in a report on the so-called confirmation of the deaths, described the Brazilian government’s lack of reliable information on the whereabouts of both as “enormous confusion”.
“At first, this Monday, the reporter’s wife assured him that these were the bodies of the disappeared. Shortly after, however, the Amazonas Federal Police, which was handling the case, issued a note stating that ‘the information that the bodies were found is not valid’.
BBC says Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira trial ‘declared a tragedy’
A BBC report headline brought an Amazonian indigenous leader to speak about the deaths of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira: “predicted tragedy”.
The British network detailed the situation in Vale do Javari, where local and indigenous fishermen depend on the weight of arapaima for survival – but in recent years they have been competing for space with fishermen and poachers, as well as South American drug gangs.
The report also noted that the government of President Jair Bolsonaro has made massive cuts to domestic protection budgets:
“Under President Jair Bolsonaro, who has little time for indigenous communities or environmental agencies, the indigenous conservation agency Funai has weakened, surveillance and fines for violators have fallen.”
The BBC also spoke about Bruno’s work while working in Funai, where he played an important role for the local community, “recording and mapping events to report crimes” to the state and federal government.
“The state has abandoned us not only here in Vale do Javari, but also in other indigenous lands,” says one indigenous leader, who asked the British newspaper not to reveal his identity.
Manoel Chorimpa, leader of the Marubo indigenous community, decided to speak openly to the BBC about the sense of impunity surrounding residents:
“Threats are nothing new. What we are seeing is a declared tragedy.”
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RSF organization warns of risks
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was another organization that warned of the risks environmental journalists face in the country and in Latin America.
“The news about environmental conflicts in Latin America is becoming more and more dangerous, even law enforcement agencies are involved in violence against professionals,” said Emmanuel Colombié, regional director of the RSF. Interview with MediaTalks.
The case of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira is not an isolated case. Journalists, activists and Funai workers are often the target of threats that result in aggression and even death.
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UN says ‘concerned’ over environmental situation in Brazil
In her speech this Monday (13), UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed her concerns about the environmental situation in Brazil. The statement was made at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“I am concerned about threats to environmental human rights defenders and indigenous peoples in Brazil, including exposure to pollution from illegal gold mining.”
Despite not citing the cases or mentioning Bishop Phillips, Bachelet’s speech came just days after the UN described the Brazilian government’s “extremely slow” action in finding the missing journalist and native in the Amazon as “extremely slow”.
The spokesperson of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, at a press conference last week, Ravina Shamdasani reinforced Bachelet’s talk about “c” anxiety.The constant attacks and persecution of human rights defenders, environmentalists and journalists in the country”.
“We insist that the government should use all available means to help locate the two men. Unfortunately, the initial response was slow.”
“The state has a duty to protect the work of journalists and human rights defenders. There is an obligation to protect the right to life and security, to initiate an investigation and to search for the missing.”
Also, in response to foreign journalists, he added that “first responders have been extremely slow” in finding missing men in the Amazon rainforest.
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source: Noticias
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