Brazilian Government Has ‘Nothing’ From Search for Missing Journalist, Indigenous Groups Say –

Sao Paulo – Three important indigenous organizations have accused the Brazilian government of slowing down a search and rescue mission. Missing reporter Dom Phillips “And Bruno Ara უჯ o Pereira, an expert on local issues, said in a statement that, with a few exceptions, the police, army and other authorities have”Not then Through research efforts. “

Phillips and Pereira disappeared on Sunday when they did not return from a trip to Vale do Javari, in the vast and remote region of the Amazon rainforest in far -western Brazil.

The disappearance of Phillips and Pereira fascinated Brazil, topping the evening news and dominating the front pages of the newspaper. Meanwhile, widespread awareness that the government is slowly moving forward in response has sparked protests from indigenous groups and a call by journalists, politicians, actors, television personalities and famous athletes for the Brazilian government to finally act.

Phillips is a seasoned environmental journalist who followed Brazil and Amazon for more than a decade for The Guardian. He has also collaborated with The Washington Post, The New York Times, HuffPost and other publications. Pereira is a career researcher at FUNAI – Brazil’s main indigenous government agency – and a consultant to many indigenous forest tribes.

Phillips is currently working on a book about the efforts of the Amazon region and its tribes to protect the forest and its lands. He was in the Javari Valley to talk to the locals.

Valle do Javar, home to many indigenous tribes and large numbers of isolated people with no known contact with the outside world, has become a hotbed of violence between indigenous and illegal miners, fishermen and foresters in recent years. Pereira was threatened by illegal actors and illegal fishermen during his career on Saturday, he and Phillips succumbed to the new threat. Univaja leaders said a coalition of tribes lived in the valley.

Head of Univaja He told the Washington Post Pereira and Phillips probably didn’t have an accident along the Ithaca River, where they were last seen. Brazilian authorities have already launched a criminal investigation into their disappearance and it is quite possible that Phillips and Pereira were attacked by illegal actors protesting their presence in the region.

The search and rescue mission began smoothly. On Monday, Amazon’s military command issued a statement saying it was ready to mobilize forces to search for the missing couple. But he still needs the authorization of the “higher ranks” of the military. At the same time, the Brazilian Navy initially did not allow the helicopter to fly to assist in the search.

The Brazilian government has since said military and federal police units have begun a strong search and rescue operation, and President Jair Bolsonaro said in a televised interview on Tuesday night that “the military is striving ”to find the couple. .

But indigenous groups engaged in their own research operations In a statement these claims were disputed on Wednesday, in which some of the government’s assertions were said to be “No. That’s rightAnd what little has been done to find the missing journalist and his partner. The group said that, with the exception of six federal police officers and a FUNAI team, the government has a smaller presence in the region.

“A large number of troops have been assigned to this area,” Univaja said in a statement. “However, right now the number of agents available is limited due to the urgency of Pereira and Phillips’ position.”

OPI, a group that strives to protect the rights of isolated indigenous tribes, and APIB, Brazil’s largest indigenous organization, also signed a statement criticizing the “slow pace” of search and rescue operations. . .

In the absence of government action, indigenous groups and other organizations have been forced to try to fill the gaps. Univaja conducted a search up and down the river on Sunday and, along with the Federal Public Defender, filed a lawsuit in a federal court to force the military and police to take more action. Greenpeace Brazil, a subsidiary of the Global Environment Organization, has offered Univaja the use of an aircraft it owns so that it can fly to Valle do Javar in search of Phillips and Pereira, a HuffPost spokesman said in HuffPost.

Flights began Wednesday with leaders Univaja and COIAB, a coalition of indigenous groups working in the Amazon rainforest.

“We and others are trying to figure out how to best support them [groups] They try to go out and search until the government can do nothing, ”said Daniel Brindis, an expert advisor to Washington -based Greenpeace Brazil.

Elisio Marubo, Univaja Attorney, told CNN Brazil that the organization had begun a “restless” search for the missing couple and sent a team to set up a camp where they were likely to lost.

“Our team is still there, unlike the authorities, who will be returning to the city, so they will be able to find the traces of Bruno and Domi as soon as possible,” Marubo said.

The military released photos of soldiers searching the area by boat, but it was unclear if they began using helicopters on Wednesday to search for the missing couple. The Brazilian Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the research or its criticism.

There are signs that the operation may increase. In response to a complaint filed Wednesday by the federal public defender and Brazilian federal judge the Univaja Government was ordered to immediately “involve the use of helicopters, boats and search teams” to assist in the search for Phillips and Pereira.

Meanwhile, police were arrested and questioned. They said the suspect used his boat to chase the Ithaca River to Phillips and Pereira.

But Bolsonaro’s personal stance on the loss of Phillips and Pereira is unsympathetic. He described their disappearance on Tuesday night as the sad result of an unfortunate “adventure” in the woods.

“In fact, in a wild region, only two people on a boat are not recommended for adventure. ᲧEverything could have happened.” It could have been an accident, they could have been killed, “Bolsonaro said in a television interview.

Indigenous groups and environmentalists argue that Phillips and Pereira’s little research is inseparable. Knight Lapitan Bolsonaro occupied the rainforest of the Amazon and its natives. Bolsonaro already has Work closely with yourself Along with wildcat miners, illegal loggers, and other illegal interests that seek to exploit the forest and destroy small -scale infrastructure to prevent lawlessness in Brazil’s most remote environmental region.

Since taking office in 2019, the right-wing president has softened environmental laws and fines as part of a broader effort to promote economic development in the Amazon region. It has a strategy The forest opened up And indigenous lands for illegal mining, fishing, logging and other exploitation Record the level of deforestation And promoted some Attacks In indigenous communities.

Indigenous groups say it created a culture of impunity in remote regions like Valle do Javar and led to what tribal leaders call it. A genocidal campaign against them.

“Every hour that passes reduces the chances of survival of the two missing men, while strengthening the dominance of increasingly self-confident criminals in a country of illegal non-state behavior,” Univaja said in a statement. “We are watching again when the Bolsonaro government abdicates its responsibilities amid the escalation of violence against indigenous peoples and human rights defenders in Brazil.

Phillips’ wife tearfully asked authorities to find her husband and Pereira on Tuesday, though she admitted her hopes of finding them alive were waning.

Pele, perhaps the most famous Brazilian in the world, joined his request. “The struggle to preserve the Amazon rainforest and protect indigenous peoples belongs to us all. “I am thrilled with the passing of Dom Phillips and Bruno Ferreira, who dedicated their lives to us”. On Twitter. “I joined a lot of voices asking for more research.”

On Tuesday night, indigenous groups organized a demonstration at FUNAI’s headquarters in the Brazilian capital, while others sought to provide more international pressure on Brazil.

Also on Tuesday, Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s indigenous leader, told U.S. climate ambassador John Kerry At a loss At an event in New York. Guajajara tweeted that he asked Kerry to force the White House to pressure the Brazilian government on the matter during a meeting between Bolsonaro and President Joe Biden at the U.S. continental summit this week. Representatives of the United States. Raul Grizhalva (D-Arizona), Marco Pocan (D-Wisc.) And other House progressives have also called on the Brazilian government to act.

The loss of Phillips and Pereira has drawn international attention to the threats facing the indigenous communities of Valle do Javar and Brazil more broadly. Indigenous groups and tribal leaders argue that the slow and inadequate investigation into their disappearance, meanwhile, should pay more attention to the culture of impunity that has developed in the Vale do Javari and in the Amazon rainforests more widely.

In 2019, Maxiel Pereira dos Santos, an indigenous expert and contract worker of FUNAI, was killed in Tabinga, the largest city in the region, which also includes Valle do Javar. His murder was never discovered.

Across Brazil, meanwhile, are illegal invasions of native lands Increased 137% According to a study by the Indigenous Missionary Council of Brazil, from 2018, a year before taking office in Bolsonaro, until 2020. Killings also increased: 182 indigenous people were killed in 2020, 67% more than last year, according to board.

The inadequate response to the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira can only reinforce the belief of illegal actors that they can threaten, intimidate and even kill pointless tribal members, journalists and human rights activists.

“As long as Brazil is the flagship of anti-human rights policies, the country will continue to be mired in deep violence bordered by barbarism and will offer its people more reason for regret than celebration, “said Greenpeace Brazil. UK Greenpeace announced in a joint statement Tuesday night.

“The Brazilian government will urgently make every effort to locate Bruno Arauco Pereira and Dom Phillips,” the note read. “Otherwise, they will fall victim to the vulnerability that exists in Amazon’s ‘all is well’ policy.”