Bolsonaro may have had a hand in indigenous leader, journalist murders
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Corporate crackdown on indigenous peoples and resources has been Bolsonaro's strategy since day 1.
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Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian President
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's demolition of the Amazon's indigenous and environmental protection services played a significant role in selling the world's lungs to crooks - or in other words, multinational corporations, which played a direct role in the killing of journalist and indigenous leader Dom Pillips and Bruno Pereira.
Read more: 'Blue River' turns brown, Illegal gold mining in Amazon raises concern
This comes after the British journalist and the Brazilian Indigenous leader were killed on the River Itaquai. So far, 3 men are in custody: 2 fishermen and a third man called Jeferson da Silva Lima.
Federal police have ruled out the possibility that there would be a powerful criminal mastermind behind the murder. Investigators, in parallel, are looking into whether the killing was an ordered assassination.
Bolsonaro, according to the politician heading the senate investigation into the murder, holds plenty of responsibility regarding how environmental protection agencies have been increasingly crippled since he assumed office.
“The government is a direct accomplice and participant in the murders of both men,” said Randolfe Rodrigues, an opposition senator from the Amazon state of Amapá.
“The Bolsonaro government’s policy of dismantling and destructuring [Indigenous and environmental safeguards] is directly responsible for the point the Javari Valley has reached.”
Read more: Bolsonaro blamed for Amazon murder
Bolsonaro, once, yelled at Phillips when the journalist challenged his policies, which enable the surge in deforestation in the forest giant.
“The first thing you need to understand is that the Amazon is Brazil’s, not yours,” the Brazilian nationalist told Phillips, a journalist who used to contribute to the Guardian.
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Randolfe Rodrigues visiting the Amazon region where Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira were killed (The Guardian)
Rodrigues said, “Bolsonaro has surrendered the Amazon to crooks, to crime – and what happened to Dom and Bruno illustrates this,” continuing to slam the systemic destruction of the agencies since Bolsonaro assumed presidency in 2019.
“There is no more state presence in the Javari Valley region. The Javari Valley no longer has [the environmental agency] Ibama to curb environmental crime. [The Indigenous agency] Funai and the few Indigenous specialists who remain are facing death threats and intimidation. There are insufficient numbers of federal police there and the Brazilian army also lacks sufficient troops,” Rodrigues said.
“The region has been surrendered to illegal fishing, illegal hunting [and] illegal mining – all of which is connected to narco-trafficking,” claimed the senator. “Jair Bolsonaro spoke about not surrendering the Amazon – but he has surrendered it to the worst kind of banditry there is.”
Brazil’s presidency did not respond to a request to comment on the claims.
Read more: The Amazon's ongoing corporate colonization is still relevant
“The region is on the brink of a serious humanitarian collapse,” Rodrigues warned.
“These criminals are coming in armed with rifles and when they encounter the isolated peoples, the isolated people will react to them. Given that the [criminals] are far better armed, they will promote a tremendous bloodbath. There’s no state to protect the Indigenous people there."
