Alarm bells are going off as the days pass since the disappearance of Brazilian Indigenista Bruno Araújo Pereira and Guardian journalist Dom Phillips in the Brazilian Amazon. The pair disappeared while returning from a trip to document the Javari Valley region of Amazonas State. International calls are growing for national and local authorities to cooperate on an investigation into their disappearance.
Brazilian police have found suspects before they found a crime. Where are Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira and why are the authorities doing so little to find them?https://t.co/Jsqb68mJ0z
— jonathanwatts (@jonathanwatts) June 7, 2022
When every minute counts, fears are growing for the safety of Pereira and Philipps. Bolsonaro's government continues to foster an environment that has made the Amazon more dangerous for Indigenous Peoples, traditional communities, environmental and human rights defenders, and journalists.
Time and time again, the Brazilian government has sided with crime and destruction in the Amazon, resulting in increasing illegal deforestation, annual illegal fires, and expanding illegal mining. The government has signaled leniency towards crimes and fines in the Amazon, has sabotaged environmental enforcement, and is accelerating plans to weaken environmental laws.
Informamos que o indigenista Bruno Araújo Pereira e o jornalista britânico Dom Phillips seguem desaparecidos. Torna-se necessária de maneira urgente uma ação eficaz de apuração dos fatos e de busca imediata.
Acesse nota completa conjunta aqui: https://t.co/Tj0dSLYvWb pic.twitter.com/7xmW6kk9fm
— Sonia Guajajara (@GuajajaraSonia) June 7, 2022
Agribusiness interests are advancing drastic and disastrous laws in Brazil that would reward land-grabbing, rob Indigenous Peoples of their lands and accelerate forest destruction. To win the fight against the climate, biodiversity and health crises we are in, we must stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and stop the destruction of the Amazon.
Brazil indigenous expert and UK journalist have disappeared while reporting in the Amazon – only days after receiving threats.
Daily Brief: https://t.co/beYKdQRarX pic.twitter.com/2FKYsgbGaJ
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) June 7, 2022
Greenpeace Brazil is calling on the Brazilian Government to mobilize all the necessary efforts to investigate the disappearance of Dom Philipps and Bruno Araújo Pereira.
While scientists warn us about the deadly climate emergency and mass extinction, the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, is still being logged and burned out of existence for industrial agriculture. The rights of Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities are critical to the health of the rainforest, but their lives and lands remain threatened. Greenpeace is committed to the protection of Indigenous rights in Brazil, and all over the world.
Our future depends on it.
Add your voice to save the Amazon.
This is a developing story.
Jessica Miller is a Managing Editor with Greenpeace International based in Brooklyn, New York.
