The issue has been mobilizing politicians from the rank and file of President Joe Biden since last week, and international pressure on the Bolsonaro administration is expected to follow.
Judging by the US Congress, the Federal Police’s statement Wednesday night (15/6) regarding the discovery of the possible mortal remains of British journalist Dom Phillips and native Bruno Pereira and the confession of murder. At least one of its authors is unlikely to alleviate much of the international pressure on the Brazilian government.
Senators and lawmakers from the Joe Biden government base, which BBC News Brasil listened to, say the Bolsonaro administration should explain the motives, principles and possible political links of the murders, as well as possible mistakes and omissions by public institutions during the election. The investigation into Bruno and Dom’s disappearance.
“Arresting the suspects is just the beginning. Brazilian authorities must conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the deaths,” said Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
Authorities have so far arrested “Dos Santos” two suspects involved in the case, Amarildo Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, known as “Pelado”, and his brother, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, but said they expect more arrests in the case. The next few days.
A week ago, Markey began public pressure on his social networks to put forth maximum effort in searching for two professionals who disappeared while investigating possible environmental crimes in Brazil’s indigenous land.
He also said the Biden administration should question Bolsonaro about the country’s environmental policies during a bilateral meeting in Los Angeles last week.
Pressure from Democratic lawmakers and civil society led the issue to be discussed in Los Angeles at a meeting of Biden’s Climate Ambassador John Kerry with Brazilian justice ministers Anderson Torres and Joaquim Leite of the Environment, and it even reached a bilateral meeting between the two countries. Biden and Bolsonaro.
The Brazilian President also spoke about the case in his speech at the 9th Summit of the Americas, arguing that his government is conducting a “tireless search” for Dom and Bruno.
Commenting on the matter with BBC News Brazil this Thursday, the senator spoke of the investigative work carried out by the indigenous peoples of the Vale do Javari (Univaja) Indigenous Peoples League. “I recognize the indigenous community for their tireless efforts,” said Markey.
Although the federal government says it has been searching since the first day of the disappearance, locals in the region on Sunday claim it was only more than 48 hours after the warning that the country’s security forces were participating in the rescue operation. .
On Monday night, more than 24 hours after news of the initial disappearance, the area’s Military Command issued a public memo stating that although it was on hold, it did not initiate the search because it had not received orders. do so..
Locals are credited with discovering the location of Dom and Bruno’s boat and the area where their belongings were found, and key witnesses who led investigators to the accused suspects.
At the press conference announcing the discovery of the bodies of Dom and Bruno this Wednesday, Brazilian police forces did not mention the work of the indigenous people who were at the forefront of the investigation. Eduardo Fontes, the district chief of the Federal Police in Amazonas, was questioned by the BBC about not mentioning the indigenous population and said it was a “mistake”.
“Actually it was a mistake for us not to mention the collaborative work here with riparians and local indigenous people. Many of them accompanied us on boats, on planes. So, yes, it was fundamental,” Fontes said.
For Representative Raúl Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who has closely followed the case, “there are numerous open questions, not just about the disappearance itself, but also about the Bolsonaro government’s subsequent actions.”
For the American representative, the Brazilian government should allow some independent agency, possibly multilateral, to lead the investigation of the case. “The families and friends of Dom and Bruno deserve justice, and you can be sure the world will be on the lookout for this,” he said.
Journalists under attack
According to Grijalva, Dom and Bruno were killed “while searching for truth and justice on the Amazon”, and their disappearance was “destroying news for journalism and indigenous rights defenders in Brazil and around the world.”
Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, stressed that “the work (by Dom and Bruno) must continue to be continued to defend indigenous peoples.”
For Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin representative who monitors the issue, “Journalists need to be safe in doing their jobs, whether they’re investigating illegal fishing, illegal deforestation, or corrupt governments.” It will be up to the Brazilian government to ensure this and ensure that “such brutal murders never happen again”.
In commenting on the case, President Jair Bolsonaro did not seem to recognize Dom’s journalistic work in the area. He said he and Bruno, one of Brazil’s most respected natives, embarked on “a mindless adventure”. This Wednesday, shortly before the bodies were found, he said Dom was “badly regarded” on the Amazon for his reports denouncing environmental crimes, and that he should “double his attention” before taking a “trip”.
This Thursday, Bolsonaro offered solidarity to the relatives of Bruno and Dom. In response to a Funai (National Indian Foundation) broadcast lamenting the deaths, the president said, without naming the victims, “Our condolences to the family members and may God comfort everyone’s hearts!” Wrote.
Two days ago, Brian Nichols, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Americas, said, “The disappearance of Dom Phillips and indigenous affairs expert Bruno Pereira in Brazil underlines the alarming trend of violence against journalists and activists in the Americas, and increased protections for their vital work. “. Asked by BBC News Brasil to comment on the discovery of the bodies, the State Department did not respond until this report was published.
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source: Noticias
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