The Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF1), based in Brasília, scheduled for this Tuesday (17) the trial of the appeals of three defendants accused by murder of indigenous activist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillipswhich occurred in the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land, in Amazonas, in 2022.
The judges of the Fourth Panel of the TRF will analyze the appeals of Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, Jefferson da Silva Lima and Oseney da Costa de Oliveira against the decision of indictment, of October 2023, which determined that the defendants must be tried by a jury. They are under arrest and are charged with the crimes of homicide and concealment of a corpse.
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 pair 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. Their bodies were recovered ten days later. They were buried in a dense forest area, about 3 kilometers from the Itacoaí River basin.
A contributor to the British newspaper The Guardian, Dom dedicated himself to environmental journalism 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 Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (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.
