December 2, 2022

18:12

Marcela Leiros – AMAZON AGENCY

MANAUS – Two indigenous people from Vale do Javari were appointed, this Friday, 2, to the Technical Group of Indigenous Peoples of the transition team of the elected government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Eliésio Marubo and Beto Marubo, from the Union of Indigenous Peoples from Vale do Javari (Univaja), are now part of the group that will support the coordination for the creation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. Besides them, Leonardo Lenin, from the Organization of Isolated Indigenous Peoples (OPI) is also in the WG.

In a publication on Instagram, Eliésio Marubo, who is a legal attorney for Univaja, thanked Lula for the appointment and remembered the murder of the indigenist of the National Indian Foundation (Funai), Bruno Pereira, and the British journalist Dom Phillips. The two were killed in Vale do Javari in June this year, by fishermen acting illegally in the region where the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land is located.

“The @Imprensa_Nacional brings my nomination, Beto Marubo and Leonardo Lenin @OPI_Isolados to the Original Peoples WG. Thank you, @LulaOficial. Our participation reflects well what happened with the brutal murder of Bruno Pereira, from @UnivajaOficial and Dom”, said Eliésio.

Last week, the transition cabinet of Lula’s government, led by vice-president-elect Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), invited indigenous leaders to set up a specific thematic nucleus to deal with isolated peoples.

On Thursday, 1, before the publication of the decree that brings the name of the new members of the WG, Beto Marubo asked the new government to act effectively in protecting the Javari Valley, or else the territory will be lost to organized gangs operating in the region.

Also read: ‘We will remain vigilant in demanding justice’, says Phillips’ widow during the funeral of the journalist killed in the Amazon

The case of Dom and Bruno

Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira were murdered on 5 June this year, while they were travelling by boat to the city of Atalaia do Norte, in Amazonas. The brutal murder drew attention to the region of the Amazon rainforest that is home to the largest number of isolated peoples in the world.

Read also: ‘Example of indigenism’, say Funai officials at vigil for Bruno Araújo and Dom Phillips

With the help of the indigenous peoples of Vale do Javari, the authorities found the boat used by them and the location of the bodies in the forest. The investigations have not yet revealed a mastermind but they have found three illegal fishermen who participated in the murders. According to the investigations, they were unhappy with the monitoring of environmental crimes conducted by the indigenist.

When denouncing the fishermen to Justice, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) stated that the double homicide had a futile motive because it was committed because of a photo taken by Dom Phillips of the boat where the suspects were.