Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Iranian Shura Council recommends the closure of the Hormuz Strait and leaves the decision up to the Iranian National Security Council.
IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour: As time passes, the people's solidarity increases, which is a divine blessing
IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour: The Iranian Revolution Guard Corps' aerospace operations will not stop
Russian Foreign Ministry: IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi must ensure that an objective report is presented at the special session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Russian Foreign Ministry: The UN Security Council must respond to the US attacks on Iran
Russian Foreign Ministry: We strongly condemn the US strikes on Iran, calling the decision irresponsible
Iranian Red Crescent: Three personnel martyred, 29 injured in Israeli aggression
IRGC: We have identified and monitored the departure points of the US aircraft that carried out the aggression
IRGC: America has neither the initiative nor the ability to escape the consequences of a powerful response
IRGC: We strongly affirm that Iran's peaceful nuclear technology cannot be destroyed by any attack

Fears around UK journalist, indigenous expert missing in Amazon

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 8 Jun 2022 08:38
4 Min Read

The British journalist and Brazilian indigenous expert went missing in the amazon after receiving threats.

  • x
  • Fears around UK journalist, indigenous expert missing in Amazon
    Dom Philips and Bruno Pereira

The family and rights groups of a British journalist and a Brazilian Indigenous specialist who went missing deep in the Amazon after receiving threats urged Tuesday authorities to expedite the search.

Dom Phillips, 57, a veteran freelance writer, and Bruno Pereira, 41, a known Indigenous specialist, went missing early Sunday while sailing in Brazil's Javari Valley, bordering Peru, when Phillips was investigating a book.

As the 48-hour mark approached, questions arose over whether they were victims of an accident or foul play.

Authorities had no information on their whereabouts as of Tuesday night, but Amazonas state civil police stated they were interviewing a "suspect" and that four other persons had testified as "witnesses", though no arrests had been made.

According to local Indigenous activists, the couple received threats last week as a result of their work in the isolated region, which has experienced an increase in illicit logging, gold mining, poaching, and drug trafficking.

Read more: 'Blue River' turns brown, Illegal gold mining in Amazon raises concern

"I want to make an appeal to the government to intensify the search," Phillips's Brazilian wife, Alessandra Sampaio, expressed in a video statement.

"We still have some small hope of finding them. Even if I don't find the love of my life alive, please find them," she said. 

Authorities were accused of not responding quickly enough, while the Brazilian government voiced "grave concern", and police stated they were taking "all possible measures to find (the men) as quickly as possible."

According to the Ministry of Defense, the army has dispatched 150 soldiers who are "specialists in jungle environment operations, who know the terrain where the searches are being carried out," since Monday.

However, three Indigenous rights groups in the region previously disclosed that just six state police personnel were actively engaged in the operation, and they encouraged the government to deploy helicopters and a task force.

"The Brazilian government was very slow to act, in a situation where acting quickly is absolutely essential," the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Brazil office stated.

Related News

British officials knew of 'Israel’s' plan to strike Iran: Sky News

India opens probe into London-bound-plane crash

According to Brazil's federal police, a second helicopter was deployed to help the search efforts.

Bolsonaro's comment under fire

President Jair Bolsonaro has come under fire for appearing to blame the missing men, both of whom have vast expertise in the Amazon jungle region.

Bolsonaro stated that "two people in a boat in a region like that, completely wild -- it's an unadvisable adventure. Anything can happen."

"Maybe there was an accident, maybe they were executed."

Bolsonaro has faced criticism for fueling pro-mining policies in Indigenous lands in the Amazon and Pereira, an expert currently on leave from Brazil's Indigenous affairs agency FUNAI, has campaigned against such policies, often being threatened as a result.

Painful waiting

According to Pereira's family statement, if either of the men is injured, time is of essence to the search and rescue operation.

They added that they were in anguish, while Philip's sister Sian posted a video statement on the edge of tears.

Sian stated that "every minute counts," urging the Brazilian authorities to act quickly.

In a letter published in the Brazilian daily O Globo, a group of approximately 40 reporters and friends of Phillips urged Brazilian authorities to widen the search.

In addition, 11 news organizations asked for an emergency meeting with the justice minister and other high-level authorities to obtain an update on the hunt.

Phillips, who lives in Salvador, previously followed Pereira to the Javari Valley in 2018 for a piece in Britain's Guardian newspaper, where he was a frequent writer.

Around 6,300 Indigenous people from 26 tribes live on the 85,000-square-kilometer (33,000-square-mile) reservation, which has little contact with the outside world.

FUNAI's outpost there, which was established to safeguard Indigenous populations, has been attacked multiple times in recent years, including the death of an officer in 2019.

According to Fiona Watson, research director at Indigenous rights group Survival International, the region has experienced an increase in illicit mining, logging, and poaching in recent years, and its remoteness makes it a sanctuary for drug traffickers.

She told AFP that "you're talking about dense tropical forest," describing the locating of Bruno and Dom as "immensely challenging".

Read more: 2021 Roundup: The Amazon's ongoing corporate colonization is still relevant

  • Britain
  • Indigenous
  • Brazil
  • United Kingdom

Most Read

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

  • MENA
  • 17 Jun 2025
Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025 (AP)

Wave 12 of Operation True Promise 3 launched, Sejjil deployed: IRGC

  • Politics
  • 18 Jun 2025
Iran launches missile barrage to Tel Aviv, casualties reported

True Promise 3, wave 14: Tel Aviv targeted, casualties reported

  • Politics
  • 19 Jun 2025
Iran's heavy barrages impact multiple Israeli targets overnight

Iran's heavy barrages impact multiple Israeli targets overnight

  • Palestine
  • 18 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Iran UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani addresses a United Nations Security Council meeting, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Iran demands urgent UN Security Council session over US airstrikes

CIA Director John Ratcliffe, testifies before a hearing April 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
US & Canada

Trump aides pushed war on Iran with Mossad-fed intel, ignoring dissent

This photo released on Nov. 5, 2019, by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran shows centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)
Politics

Iran: Minor damage to nuclear sites after US attack, no radiation

The U.S. Capitol, on June 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Politics

US lawmakers condemn Trump’s strikes on Iran; MAGA base frustrated

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS