Judge Marcos Augusto de Sousa, of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF1), based in Brasília, decided this Friday (20) to grant house arrest to fisherman Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, one of the three defendants accused of the murder of indigenous activist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips, which occurred in the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land, in Amazonas, in 2022.
House arrest was requested by the defendant’s defense. The lawyers claimed that Oseney has health problems and mentioned the need for a colonoscopy to treat heavy bleeding in the rectal region. Before leaving prison, Oseney will have to wear an electronic ankle bracelet to be monitored in Manaus, where he will remain at a relative’s house.
In addition to the health issue, Oseney da Costa benefited from the decision of the Fourth Panel of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF), which, on Tuesday (17), rejected the Public Ministry’s accusation against him.
The panel followed the vote cast by Judge Marcos Augusto. In the judge’s assessment, there is no evidence of Oseney’s participation in the murders of Bruno and Dom.
As for defendants Amarildo and Jefferson, the judge decided to uphold the decision that took the defendants to trial at the Jury Court of Tabatinga (AM). They will remain in prison.
Understand
Bruno and Dom were killed on June 5, 2022, victims of an ambush, while traveling by boat through the Javari Valley region, in Amazonas, a region that is home to the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land, the second largest in the country, with more than 8.5 million hectares.
The two were last seen while traveling from the São Rafael community to the city of Atalaia do Norte (AM), where they were to meet with indigenous leaders and leaders from riverside communities. The bodies of Bruno and Dom, which were buried in a dense forest area, about 3 kilometers from the Itacoaí River basin, were recovered ten days later.
Contributor to the British newspaper The GuardianDom dedicated himself to environmental journalistic coverage – including land conflicts and the situation of indigenous peoples – and was preparing a book about the Amazon.
Bruno Pereira had previously held the position of General Coordinator for Isolated and Recently Contacted Indians at the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) before taking an unpaid leave from the foundation and going to work for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (UNIVAJA). He received several death threats for his work in defense of indigenous communities and environmental preservation.
