• Brazil The Brazilian Amazon bleeds again

The data from the investigation of the disappearance of the British journalist Dom Phillips (57) and the Brazilian indigenist Bruno Pereira (41) are trickling in.

The Brazilian Federal Police reported today that the suspects acted alone, without "an intellectual author or criminal organization behind the crime."

While awaiting the identification of the remains found in the Amazon jungle, the indigenous people are skeptical of this version and the news of the possible death has caused a wave of indignation in Brazil.

"The investigations indicate that the

authors acted alone

, without there being an intellectual author or criminal organization behind the crime," the Federal Police said in a statement on Friday.

In addition to insisting again that there would be more people involved.

The indigenous peoples of the area have been opposed to this hypothesis, according to

The Guardian.

"Univaja [Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley] does not agree with the conclusion of the federal police that affirms that there was no perpetrator of the crime that ended with the death of Dom and Bruno," said Eliesio Marubo, a lawyer for the organization. , which collaborated in the search for the bodies.

Phillips and Pereira entered the Javari Valley to collect information for a book on the sustainable development of the Amazon, however, on June 5 they lost track, since they never returned to Atalaia do Norte.

After more than 10 days of searching, Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira - one of the suspects along with his brother Oseney da Costa de Oliveira - confessed on Wednesday that he would have committed the crime and the place where the bodies would be: in a wooded area more two hours from the nearest city.

The desolation for the relatives and the indignation among the NGOs came when the police confirmed that they had found human remains in the indicated place.

Some tests that have already traveled to Brasilia (as seen in the image that accompanies this news) to be compared.

Eduardo Alexandre Fontes,

"we will only be sure after the tests" of identification

.

But this Friday's statement from the police indicates that there is

a "99% probability" that they belong to the two men

, AFP reported.

The area in which they disappeared, which borders Peru and Colombia, is known for its danger.

As Survival International warned these days, it highlights

"the rampant increase in illegal logging, mining and drug trafficking activities

. "

According to AFP, Univaja had previously communicated to the authorities that Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira had been "accused of being the author of attacks with firearms in 2018 and 2019 against a Funai [National Indian Foundation] base." .

Pereria, who worked in the aforementioned government agency, had already received death threats for his work in that organization.

Amnesty International states in its annual report that

Brazil is the fourth country in the world with the highest number of homicides of environmental leaders

and defenders of the right to land, citing the NGO Global Witness.

Murders such as that of human rights defender and Rio de Janeiro councilor Marielle Franco are still present in the collective memory.

The news of the remains found in the Brazilian Amazon caused many organizations to express their outrage, including the United Nations, which urged Brazil to "increase its efforts to protect human rights defenders and indigenous peoples," Ravina said in Geneva. Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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