Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issues a precautionary measure on the disappearance of indigenist Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips so that the Brazilian government “redoubles its efforts” to locate them. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued this Saturday (11/06) resolution that determines precautionary measures in favor of indigenist Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips, who disappeared in the Amazon since last Sunday.
The IACHR considers that both are in a serious and urgent situation of risk of irreparable damage to their rights. The resolution asks the Brazilian government to “redouble its efforts” to determine the situation and whereabouts of Pereira and Phillips and report on the actions taken to investigate the context of the disappearance and prevent its repetition.
The request for the IACHR to take a position on the case was made on Thursday by a group of organizations, including Article 19, the Vladimir Herzog Institute, Reporters without Borders and the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism.
Pereira and Phillips disappeared while on a trip together from the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land to the town of Atalaia do Norte, to visit the indigenous surveillance team and conduct interviews. According to the organizations that appealed to the IACHR, the disappearance of both would be part of a context of intensified violence against human rights defenders, journalists and social communicators.
The organizations also told the IACHR that the Brazilian government’s efforts in the search for Pereira and Phillips were not immediate, they only took place after intense mobilization by civil society and the press, and are insufficient.
The IACHR is an organ of the Organization of American States and has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region. Brazil recognizes the jurisdiction of the IACHR and is obliged to comply with its determinations, but the body does not have the power to force a State to apply its resolutions.
The UN High Commissioner also took a stand
On Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Acnudh) had already asked the Brazilian government to increase resources and efforts in operations.
Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for Acnudh, criticized the delay in starting the search. In response to President Jair Bolsonaro, who said that the missing duo was on an “adventure”, Shamdasani said that the State has an obligation to protect journalists and professionals who work in defense of human rights.
Coordination of searches
Faced with several reports that search efforts in the region lack coordination, on Friday the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU) asked the Federal Police (PF) to install a crisis office in the city of Atalaia do Norte, in Amazonas. .
In the document, the DPU asks that crisis cabinet meetings take place every day with the public security bodies that participate in the work, such as the Amazonas Public Security Department, Army, Navy, Federal Police, Military Police, Civil Police , Fire Department, Civil Defense, Funai and Univaja.
In addition, the DPU asked the PF for the participation of indigenous people and to reinforce the search for both, with the argument that the Union of Indigenous Organizations of the Javari Valley (Univaja) indicated that the collaboration of indigenous peoples can accelerate the process to find Phillips. and Pereira, since they know the area effectively.
The DPU also requested compliance with the decision of federal judge Jaiza Maria Pinto Fraxe, of the 1st Civil Court of Amazonas, who last Wednesday ordered the reinforcement of the searches with the use of helicopters, boats and search teams. .
Currently licensed, Pereira is one of Funai’s most experienced employees working in the Vale do Javari region. He oversaw the entity’s regional office and coordination of uncontacted indigenous groups before going on leave. Pereira is a constant target of threats from fishermen and poachers and often carries a gun.
Philips is a contributor to the British newspaper The Guardian and other international publications such as the Washington Post and the New York Times. He has lived in Brazil for 15 years and is working on a book about preserving the Amazon, with support from the Alicia Patterson Foundation, which awarded him a one-year environmental reporting scholarship, which lasted until January.
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