The employees of Funai (Fundação Nacional do Índio) officially launched this Tuesday (14.jun.2022) the dossier “Anti-indigenous foundation: a portrait of Funai under the Bolsonaro government”denouncing the militarization of the agency during the government of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
The document, made in a partnership between the association of Funai employees, INA (Indigenistas Associados), and Inesc (Institute of Socioeconomic Studies), is published amid the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Araújo in Vale do Javari, in the State of Amazonas. Here’s the intact (2 MB).
According to the document, in 39 Regional Coordinations, Funai currently has only 2 official heads of the agency, while 17 military officers, 3 military police officers and 2 federal police officers have been appointed. In addition to these, the institution also has 6 professionals without a previous relationship with the public administration.
The dossier also points to the change of presidents of Funai, a position now held by delegate Marcelo Xavier. In the publication, the employees point out that Xavier uses his position to “to transform the main indigenist body into a defender of rural interests”in addition to making “evident” that the Funai structure started to serve “anti-indigenous interests”.
For employees, the survey of positions shows a “strong trend” that the organ is being occupied by people with no experience with indigenism and distant from indigenous rights.
The president of INA, Fernando Vianna, tells the Power 360 that the militarization of civil positions in the federal government is not a specific phenomenon of Funai, also pointing out other bodies related to the environment, such as IBAMA (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) and ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Conservation of Biodiversity).
Vianna also highlights episodes of physical violence against indigenous populations by “strength of this military mentality” which, according to him, distances itself from the necessary dialogue with these communities.
Furthermore, officials point out that the effects of a federal police officer on the foundation’s presidency range from deviations from the purpose of the body to “use it in systematic practices of threat, intimidation and harassment” abuse of authority with “intimidation, threats and persecution of defenders of indigenous rights”.
wanted by Power 360 to talk about the dossier, Funai only stated that it would not comment “unofficial information”.
New Funai
The dossier talks about creating a “New Funai” during the Bolsonaro government. The document recalls the publication of the institutional book “Funai: indigenous autonomy and protagonism”, in August 2021, and highlights that the new understandings disclosed in the work were not built “with the communities”. A 2nd edition of the book was published in April 2022.
“At Nova Funai, indigenous demonstrations were met with tear gas and leaders denounced, as if criminals, to the Federal Police”says the dossier.
Vianna says that the current management is committed to doing the “inverse” than the original function of the organ would be.
INA still criticizes Bolsonaro’s speech in favor of the time frame thesis. The agenda was withdrawn from the trial by the STF. The President of the Court, Minister Luiz Fux, excluded the action from the calendar on June 1. There is still no date for the case to resume.
The time frame thesis establishes that indigenous populations can only claim land they occupied on the date of promulgation of the Constitution, on October 5, 1988.
In 2009, when judging the Raposa Serra do Sol case, territory in Roraima, the STF decided that the indigenous people had the right to the disputed land, as they lived on it when the Constitution was promulgated. From then on, the validity of the opposite began to be discussed: whether or not indigenous people could also claim lands not occupied on the date of enactment.
The topic is of great interest to the Planalto, which has taken the side of agribusiness. The president has already stated, on more than one occasion, that he could not comply with the decision of the Supreme Court, if the ministers did not validate the thesis.
According to the dossier, Funai’s new management is a “crucial point” to end the demarcation of indigenous lands. “The institutionalization of a true policy anti-demarcation within the indigenist agency has been one of the main missions of the current president”.
After criticizing the federal government, the document also lists a series of demands for candidates in the 2022 elections, for a possible new management of Funai, some of which are:
- structuring an indigenist career for positions in the agency;
- reactivation of National Funds and use of international cooperation resources;
- indigenous participation, with the return of CNPI (National Council for Indigenous Policy) and the Funai Regional Committees;
- presence of the States in the execution of the indigenist policy, through state and municipal parliamentary amendments and creation of a financing system;
- regulation of police power and firearms for authorized officials through selection and training.
Dom Phillips and Bruno Araújo
English journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenist Bruno Araújo Pereira have been missing since June 5, in the state of Amazonas. Both were last seen in the Javari Valley, a region close to the border with Peru.
The PF listened to the last two people who met with Phillips and Araújo. The agency did not disclose the names of the citizens heard who, after giving testimony as witnesses, were released.
On June 7, 41-year-old Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, known as “Pelado”, was arrested in the act by the PF. Oliveira was arrested during an approach for possession of drugs and 762 caliber ammunition, of restricted use. He was also carrying hunting weaponry.
Considered a suspect in the disappearances, Oliveira had his temporary arrest requested by the PF. The court accepted the request on June 9.
The PF found blood on Oliveira’s vessel. Last Friday (June 10), researchers also found “seemingly human organic material” on the Itaquaí River, in the Javari Valley.
The president of INA explains that Bruno Araújo, when he was a Funai employee, was coordinator of the Isolated and Newly Contacted Indians area, but that he was exonerated in the change of management.
“This new management quickly realized that Bruno was a professional who was seriously dedicated to what he did and, in particular, to combating illegal activities in these lands with the presence of isolated and indigenous people in recent contact”says Vianna.
According to him, the view of “New Funai” does not want to fight illegal mining, and the indigenist was identified as a person who was “contrary” what the government’s objective was.
The official also says that cases like Araújo’s are repeated at the foundation and that employees are “persecuted and withdrawn” of its assignments.
Vianna says that the Vale do Javari region – where Phillips and Araújo disappeared – is characterized by drug and arms trafficking “very intense”. The association’s president also points out the phenomenon of articulation between these criminal organizations and those that promote environmental crimes, such as illegal hunting, fishing and mining.
According to him, shooting attacks on Funai bases within the Javari Valley have become recurrent in the region. Vianna mentions the murder of fellow employee Maxciel Pereira dos Santos. Maxciel was shot dead, in the same region where Phillips and Araújo are missing.
The investigation into Maxciel’s death was never concluded, even 3 years after the Federal Police of Amazonas opened an investigation. O Power 360 tried to contact the PF, but received no response until the publication of this report.
“This disappearance is linked to these groups that invade the land of Vale do Javari to practice illegal activities”adds.
Due to the disappearance of the 2, protesters gathered this Tuesday (June 14, 2022) in an act in front of the Ministry of Justice. Funai employees are on strike until Wednesday (June 15, 2022) and demand the whereabouts of Dom Phillips and Bruno Araújo.
Here are images of the act recorded by the photojournalist of the Power 360 Sergio Lima:
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