June 15, 2022

08:06

Priscilla Peixoto – from Amazon Agency

MANAUS – The Crisis Committee, coordinated by the Amazonas Federal Police (PF-AM), informed through a note in the evening of Tuesday, 14, the temporary arrest of Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, popularly known as “Dos Santos”, 41 years, for suspected participation in the case of the disappearance of the indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and the british journalist Dominic Phillips.

Oseney is the brother of Amarildo da Costa, also known as “Pelado”, who is already under temporary arrest. According to the note, the suspicion is that the brothers would have acted together in the disappearance of the pair. “Oseney da Costa de Oliveira is being interrogated and will be forwarded to a custody hearing at the Justice Department of Atalaia do Norte/AM”, says the text.

The document also states the fulfillment of two search and seizure warrants issued by the Judiciary Power, in Atalaia do Norte (1,137 kilometers away from Manaus), of some firearm cartridges and a paddle, which will be subject to analysis.

Finally, the committee emphasizes the continuity of the search for Bruno and Dom, by river and air, in the region of the Itaquaí River, in Atalaia do Norte. “The investigations continue to be carried out in a technical manner, without material and human efforts being spared for the complete elucidation of the facts.
The federal and state organs reinforce that there is nothing more important than the search for
Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips and reiterate their hope of finding them”, the document concludes.

Disappearance and search

Since June 6, the security forces, including civil, military, army, navy and air force police, have been searching for the activist and journalist who disappeared on June 5, during a trip on the Itaquaí river, in Atalaia do Norte, in the countryside of Amazonas state.

Dom was producing a book about the Javari Valley region, where isolated and recently contacted indigenous people live. Bruno was on leave from Funai and accompanied Dom on the trip. According to the Vale do Javari Indigenous Peoples Union (Univaja), the pair received threats in the field.

The organization states that the indigenous person was constantly threatened because of his work against invaders in the region: fishermen, gold miners, and loggers. The journalist, who was passionate about Brazil, was known for his reports denouncing violations of indigenous rights and was working on a book about the environment.