Brazilian Judge Orders Bolsonaro To Protect Indigenous Peoples

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Monday ordered President Jair Bolsonaro's administration to take “all means necessary to protect Indigenous populations’ lives, health, and safety” in the Yanomami and Munduruku lands, which are located in the states of Roraima, Para, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso.

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In these territories, illegal miners, loggers, and agribusiness have been attacking and harassing these Indigenous peoples. In one of the latest incidents, two Yanomami children were killed.

Judge Luis Roberto Barroso established a series of procedures that federal authorities must follow to guarantee the safety of people in these areas.

This decision came in response to a complaint filed by the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), which requested in 2020 the removal of the miners from the Yanomami and Mundurucu territories.

Barroso also highlighted that the federal institutions related to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic have not provided adequate and timely medical care to indigenous peoples living in urban and rural areas.

On May 10, the Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY) also denounced that an indigenous man was shot and wounded after the miners invaded the Palimiu community, in Roraima.

Since 2020, the Yanomami have warned about the presence of some 20,000 illegal miners in their territory, which is 96,000 square kilometers.