Murder of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips explained

Location:Near Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas, Brazil
Type:Disappearance and murder

On 5 June 2022, Brazilian indigenist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips were murdered during a boat trip through the Vale do Javari, the second-largest indigenous area in Brazil.[1] [2]

Two men who were brothers were arrested by the Federal Police of Brazil for suspected involvement in the murders. A few days later, one of them confessed to the murders, telling the police where he had buried the bodies as well as the location of the boat they used.[3] The forensics investigation concluded with the identification of the bodies on 22 June.[4] Philips' body was cremated in Niteroi in a ceremony reserved for family and close friends.[5] Pereira's body was cremated in the city of Paulista in a ceremony that included indigenous rituals.[6]

Background

On 5 June 2022, Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips arrived at Lago do Jaburu, a location near the National Indian Foundation Surveillance Base on the Ituí River. Phillips planned to visit the site and conduct interviews with indigenous people.[7] [8] [9] Two days later, they both went to the São Rafael community, where they were to hold a meeting with a local fisherman nicknamed "Churrasco." The meeting aimed to discuss joint work between riverine and indigenous people in the surveillance of the Javari Valley, a territory badly affected by invasions and criminal activities.[10] [11] However, the fisherman was not there, so they talked to his wife.[7] [8] [9] Pereira and Phillips disappeared while traveling along the Itaguaí River, heading towards the municipality of Atalaia do Norte.[1] [7] [8]

Victims

Bruno Pereira

Bruno Pereira was born in the city of Recife, in Pernambuco, on 15 August 1980.[12] He was an indigenist and career civil servant with FUNAI,[13] and was considered one of the country's leading experts on isolated or recently-contacted indigenous people.[7] [14] In 2019, he led the largest expedition to contact isolated indigenous peoples in 20 years. However, under pressure from ruralist sectors linked to the government of Jair Bolsonaro, he was dismissed from his post in October of that year by Sergio Moro's then-executive secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Luiz Pontel.[13] [15] [16] According to indigenous entities, Pereira was constantly threatened by gold miners and fishermen.[13] [15] [17]

Dom Phillips

Dom Phillips was born in the United Kingdom and worked as a freelance journalist, contributing to the Financial Times, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.[18] He moved to Brazil in 2007 and lived in Salvador.[18] [19] He was writing a book about the Amazon rainforest and its sustainable potential.[18]

Criminal prosecution

Investigations

On 5 June, the Union of Indigenous Organizations of the Javari Valley (Univaja) organized two search teams that left Atalaia do Norte and Tabatinga. Without success, it released a note on its social networks denouncing the disappearance and asking for help in the search.[20] The Federal Police announced that they were investigating the event but gave no further details.

On 7 June, the Military Police searched the residence of Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, known as "Pelado," after receiving an anonymous tip about his supposed participation in the disappearances. He was arrested for possession of drugs and unauthorized possession of restricted ammunition. The police seized the suspect's speedboat, where traces of blood were found and sent for analysis.[21] [22] On 12 June, the firefighters' team in Atalaia do Norte found a backpack, a laptop, and a pair of sandals near Amarildo's house.[23] The following day, Dom Phillips' family was wrongly informed by the Brazilian Embassy in the United Kingdom that the bodies had been found.[24] [25]

On 15 June, Amarildo confessed his participation in the crime[26] [27] [28] and indicated to the authorities where he had buried the bodies as well as the place where Pereira and Phillips' boat sank.[29] The Federal Police found human remains at the indicated location and did not rule out further arrests.[30] The day before the confession, Amarildo's brother, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, was arrested.[31]

On 18 June, police arrested a third suspect in the killings, Jefferson da Silva Lima.[32]

Criminal procedure

On 21 July 2022, the Public Prosecutor's Office charged three people for the murder of Philips and Pereira and the concealment of the bodies. The accusation was filed in the Federal Court of the town of Tabatinga, in Amazonas state. According to the prosecutors, Pereira was killed with three shots, one of them in the back, while Phillips was murdered only because he accompanied Pereira at the time of the crime.[33] [34]

The police have also indicted the former head of Brazil's Indigenous protection agency for their role in the murder. Despite the indictment, the name of the official has not been revealed. According to the investigation, the police claim that the officer received information that could have prevented the deaths of Pereira and Phillips.[35]

Police have now charged two more people with the murders including Ruben Dario da Silva Villar and Jânio Freitas de Souza. Villar is the alleged mastermind behind the murder and is reportedly responsible for an illegal transnational fishing network between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.[36]

Aftermath

The case had vast repercussions in Brazil, international media, mobilized societies, and trade associations.[37] [38] [39] The Federal government of Brazil has been criticized for not taking sufficient search measures[40] [41] [42] [43] and weakening institutions designed to protect the environment.[44] [45]

International press

Press coverage that increased since the beginning of the case gained international traction.[46] The Guardian, a newspaper for which Dom Phillips had written, stated there was "growing fear about the safety of the two men, who disappeared in the forest days after receiving threats."[47] BBC News has covered what it termed Phillips' "family and friends demand[ing] answers."[48] The French newspaper Le Monde openly criticized the delay of the Federal Police and the Navy in initiating the search in the far west of the Amazon, pointing out that both only acted after media pressure and urgent intervention of the .[49] The New York Times and The Washington Post drew attention to the delay in sending helicopters to scour the dense vegetation.[50]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What is known so far about the murder of Phillips and Pereira in the AM. UOL. June 16, 2022. June 16, 2022.
  2. Web site: Ana Maria Campos. Roberto Fonseca. Suspect confesses to murder of Dom Phillips and Bruno in the Amazon. Correio Braziliense. June 15, 2022. June 16, 2022.
  3. Web site: Pedroso . Rodrigo . Authorities find boat of slain British journalist and indigenous expert in Brazilian Amazon . CNN . 20 June 2022 . 20 June 2022.
  4. Web site: 2022-06-23 . Perícia em corpos de Bruno e Dom é concluída, diz PF . 2022-07-27 . Agência Brasil . pt-br.
  5. Web site: Corpo de Dom Philips é levado para cremação em Niterói . 2022-07-27 . G1 . 26 June 2022 . pt-br.
  6. Web site: Bruno Pereira é cremado em cerimônia marcada por forte emoção e orações e rituais indígenas no Grande Recife, veja vídeo . 2022-07-27 . G1 . 24 June 2022 . pt-br.
  7. Web site: PF apura desaparecimento de indigenista e-jornalista-na-amazonia. June 6, 2022. June 10, 2022. Agência Brasil.
  8. Web site: Understand what is known about disappearance of indigenist and journalist in AM. Ana Luiza Albuquerque. June 9, 2022. June 10, 2022. Folha de S. Paulo. subscription.
  9. Web site: Indigenist and English journalist are missing in Amazonas, says organisation. CNN Brazil. June 6, 2022. June 10, 2022.
  10. Web site: Gabriel Dias. Massacre, sexual abuse, invasion and more: The history of violence in Javari. UOL. June 8, 2022. June 13, 2022.
  11. Web site: Carolina Dantas. Vale do Javari: country's 2nd largest indigenous land has history of murder of Funai agent and is the scene of typical Amazonian conflicts. G1. June 6, 2022. June 14, 2022.
  12. Web site: Bruno Pereira receives tribute for trajectory of defence of indigenous peoples; 'committed to important causes', says UFPE rector. June 16, 2022. June 16, 2022. G1.
  13. Web site: Know who is Bruno Pereira, indigenist and Funai servant reported missing in Amazonas. June 6, 2022. June 10, 2022. G1.
  14. Web site: Leandro Prazeres. Trained in the jungle, Bruno Pereira overcame mistrust and gained respect from indigenous people. BBC. June 13, 2022. June 14, 2022.
  15. Web site: Ana Luiza Albuquerque. João Gabriel. Indigenista Bruno Pereira accumulates years of experience and threats in Amazonia. June 8, 2022. June 10, 2022. Folha de S. Paulo. subscription.
  16. Web site: Missing indigenist asked for leave from Funai after being exonerated by sub de Moro. June 8, 2022. June 14, 2022. UOL.
  17. Web site: Daniel Biasetto. Bill threatening Funai indigenist came from fishermen; see. O Globo. June 6, 2022. June 14, 2022. subscription.
  18. Web site: June 6, 2022 . Dom Phillips: Know who is the British journalist reported missing in Amazon . . June 13, 2022.
  19. Web site: Augusto . Otávio . June 16, 2022 . PF begins transferring the bodies of Dom and Bruno to Brasília . Metrópoles . June 17, 2022.
  20. Web site: Associação afirma que indigenista e jornalista inglês estão desaparecidos na Amazônia. G1. 2022-06-06. 2022-06-10. pt-br. 2022-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20220609182553/https://g1.globo.com/am/amazonas/noticia/2022/06/06/associacao-afirma-que-indigenista-e-jornalista-ingles-estao-desaparecidos-na-amazonia.ghtml. live.
  21. Web site: Suspeito de envolvimento em desaparecimento de Dom Phillips e Bruno Pereira é preso no AM. G1. 2022-06-08. 2022-06-14. pt-br.
  22. Web site: Quem é 'Pelado', único suspeito de envolvimento no desaparecimento de Dom e Bruno. Yahoo!. 2022-06-13. 2022-06-14. pt-br.
  23. Web site: Bombeiros encontram mochila, notebook e sandálias em área de busca por indigenista e jornalista inglês no AM. G1. 2022-06-12. 2022-06-12. pt-br.
  24. Web site: Trigueiro . André . 2022-06-13 . Mulher de Dom Phillips diz que corpos do jornalista e do indigenista Bruno Pereira foram encontrados; PF nega . . pt-br . 2022-06-14.
  25. Web site: Sadi . Andréia . Assis . Mariana . 2022-06-14 . Embaixada do Brasil admite erro sobre corpos terem sido encontrados e pede desculpas à família de Dom Phillips . . pt-br . 2022-06-14.
  26. Web site: PF diz que Amarildo confessou assassinato de indigenista e jornalista no AM; 'remanescentes humanos' encontrados passarão por perícia. G1. 2022-06-15. 2022-06-16. pt-br.
  27. Web site: Amarildo confessou envolvimento em morte de Dom e Bruno no Amazonas, diz PF. Rede Bandeirantes. 2022-06-15. 2022-06-16. pt-br.
  28. Web site: Ana Sousa. Suspeito confessa homícidio de Dom Phillips e Bruno Araújo que desapareceram na Amazónia. Observador. 2022-06-15. 2022-06-16. pt-br.
  29. Web site: Vinicius Sassine. Cézar Feitoza. Rosiene Carvalho. Pescador preso confessou assassinato de indigenista e jornalista no AM, diz PF. Folha de S.Paulo. 2022-06-15. 2022-06-16. subscription. pt-br.
  30. Web site: Camila Bomfim. PF agora investiga cinco suspeitos em inquérito sobre morte de Dom Phillips e Bruno Pereira. G1. 2022-06-16. 2022-06-16. pt-br.
  31. Web site: Segundo suspeito de participação no desaparecimento de jornalista e indigenista é preso no AM. G1. 2022-06-14. 2022-06-16. pt-br.
  32. Web site: Brazil police arrest third suspect in killings of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira . The Guardian . Associated Press . 2022-06-18 . 2022-06-19.
  33. Web site: agencies . Staff and . 2022-07-22 . Three charged in Brazil with murder of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira . 2022-07-22 . the Guardian . en.
  34. Web site: 2022-07-22 . Three charged over murders of Bruno Pereira, Dom Philips . 2022-07-22 . Agência Brasil . en.
  35. News: 2023-05-20 . Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira: Brazilian former official indicted over murders . 2023-05-21 . . en-GB.
  36. News: Tom . Phillips . 2023-06-05 . Brazil police charge alleged mastermind behind murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-06-05.
  37. Web site: Naná DeLuca. Redes perguntam: onde estão Dom Phillips e Bruno Pereira?. Folha de S.Paulo. 2022-06-06. 2022-06-10. subscription. pt-br. 2022-06-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220610064904/https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/blogs/hashtag/2022/06/redes-perguntam-onde-estao-dom-phillips-e-bruno-pereira.shtml. live.
  38. Web site: Protestos em Londres e nos EUA cobram respostas pelo desaparecimento de Dom Phillips e Bruno Pereira. G1. 2022-06-09. 2022-06-10. 2022-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20220609154042/https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2022/06/09/protestos-em-londres-e-nos-eua-cobram-respostas-pelo-desaparecimento-de-dom-phillips-e-bruno-pereira.ghtml. live.
  39. Web site: Thays Martins. Editores pelo mundo cobram Bolsonaro sobre desaparecimentos. Correio Braziliense. 2022-06-09. 2022-06-10. pt-br. 2022-06-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220610014400/http://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/mundo/2022/06/5014110-editores-pelo-mundo-cobram-bolsonaro-sobre-desaparecimento-de-jornalistas.html. live.
  40. Web site: Brazil: Authorities must not waste another second in search for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira. Anistia Internacional. 2022-06-09. 2022-06-10. en. 2022-06-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220610014426/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/06/brazil-must-not-waste-another-second-dom-phillips-bruno-pereira/. live.
  41. Web site: Justiça aponta 'omissão' do governo federal e manda reforçar buscas por Dom Phillips e Bruno Pereira. Pepita Ortega. Terra. 2022-06-08. 2022-06-10. pt-br. 2022-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20220609211209/https://www.terra.com.br/noticias/brasil/politica/justica-aponta-omissao-do-governo-federal-e-manda-reforcar-buscas-por-dom-phillips-e-bruno-pereira,7c24983d6b8d7e6e7dba05724285cd21b4fhuiln.html. live.
  42. Web site: Justiça determina que governo reforce buscas a Bruno Pereira e Dom Phillips. Jornal Nacional. 2022-06-08. 2022-06-10. pt-br. 2022-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20220609204835/https://g1.globo.com/jornal-nacional/noticia/2022/06/08/justica-determina-que-governo-reforce-buscas-a-bruno-pereira-e-dom-phillips.ghtml. live.
  43. Web site: João Gabriel. Governo Bolsonaro é cobrado por omissão e minimiza desaparecimento enquanto anuncia ações. Folha de S.Paulo. 2022-06-07. 2022-06-10. subscription. pt-br. 2022-06-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220610080450/https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2022/06/governo-bolsonaro-e-cobrado-por-omissao-e-minimiza-desaparecimento-enquanto-anuncia-acoes.shtml. live.
  44. Web site: Jack Nicas. Ana Ionova. André Spigariol. Amenazas y luego armas: un periodista y un experto desaparecen en la Amazonía. The New York Times. 2022-06-08. 2022-06-10. es. 2022-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20220609205440/https://www.nytimes.com/es/2022/06/08/espanol/amazonia-phillips-pereira.html. live.
  45. News: Delincuencia e impunidad en el Valle del Yavarí, el lugar donde desaparecieron un periodista y su acompañante. El Comercio . Associated Press. 2022-06-08. 2022-06-10. es. 2022-06-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220610075630/https://elcomercio.pe/mundo/latinoamerica/dom-phillips-bruno-pereira-brasil-delincuencia-e-impunidad-en-el-valle-del-yavari-el-lugar-donde-desaparecieron-un-periodista-y-su-acompanante-noticia/?ref=ecr. live.
  46. Web site: Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips: foreign press calls for reinforcement of searches to Bolsonaro. News. June 9, 2022.
  47. Web site: safety fears for British journalist missing in Brazilian Amazon. Tom Phillips. The Guardian. June 6, 2022.
  48. Web site: Dom Phillips: Friends and family demand answers. BBC News. June 13, 2022.
  49. Web site: Search launched for British journalist and Brazilian anthropologist missing in the Amazon. Le Monde. June 8, 2022.
  50. News: Hopes dim, anger grows in British journalist's disappearance in Brazil. The Washington Post. June 7, 2022.

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