Brazil: murder of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira must be thoroughly investigated

Responding to news that the bodies of British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous Peoples expert Bruno Pereira have been found in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, Jurema Werneck, Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil, said:

“We are deeply saddened by the news about Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips, and stand in solidarity with their family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time.

“Amnesty International will continue to investigate and demand clarity over the circumstances surrounding their disappearance and murder, as well as accountability for all those involved in this crime.

“We demand justice for their families, who must have access to truth and reparations.

“Disturbingly these are far from isolated cases. Brazil is one of the world’s most lethal countries for human rights defenders and environmentalists, and this is the consequence of policies that promote attacks on environmental legislation, dismantle institutions that protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and criminalise social movements and community organisations.

“Brazil must see an end to impunity and the absence of public policies that promote and guarantee rights.

“President Jair Bolsonaro’s government must not turn a blind eye to the crimes occurring in the Amazon, nor be complicit in them.

“All possible measures must be taken to put an urgent end to this cycle of violence in the Amazon.”