We express our immense concern regarding the disappearance of indigenous rights activist Bruno Araújo Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips in the Javari Valley. We offer our complete solidarity to their families and close friends. Pereira and Phillips have dedicated themselves for years to working in defense of the environment and indigenous peoples. A direct threat to them represents a danger to all of us, whether environmentalists or people who benefit from the Amazon even without being aware of the biome's benefits to their lives. The Amazon is a diverse world of peoples, territories, biodiversity, and natural resources that contribute significantly to the balance of the global climate, supply cities, and replenish water reservoirs throughout the country. It is revolting to witness the disorder and violence that has invaded the forest in the last four years. It is necessary to restore peace to indigenous territories.
ISPN, as a socio-environmental organization working in the Amazon biome, deeply regrets the lack of answers regarding the absence of two qualified colleagues committed to social development. Bruno is respected by our team and by Brazilian indigenism, especially for his great dedication and competence in working with peoples in voluntary isolation; Dom is an assertive journalist, attentive to urgent news coming from the interior of Brazil. There are few professionals like these in the world. In this sense, we join the large network formed to demand answers from the competent investigative authorities. Every passing minute is an eternity. We urgently need answers.
Every day, environmental activists disappear in Brazil, not only in the Amazon, but also in the Cerrado and other Brazilian biomes. They are indigenous rights activists, indigenous people, traditional communities, and family farmers. Brazil is among the most dangerous countries for environmental activists in the world, ranking fourth among those that pose the greatest risk. We will not accept intimidation and we will not tire of demanding answers.
It is necessary to protect the environment against human greed, be it illegal mining, arms trafficking, deforestation, or any other activity that harms the land. Our country does have laws. The Amazon is not no man's land: it is the land of the indigenous peoples and traditional communities; it is land where freedom of the press exists and must be respected. As the song by Maurício Tapajós and Paulo César Pinheiro says, "you cut a verse, I write another." We are many with Bruno and Dom. We demand answers and we demand justice. Where are they?