We, from Redes da Maré, an institution with a long history of work in the set of 16 favelas of Maré, in Rio de Janeiro, join the collective of individuals and institutions who, with indignation, express sadness and outrage over the brutal murder of indigenous activist Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips.We stand in solidarity with their families and friends.
Photo: Evaristo Sá/AFP. MST Website.
Once again, it is unacceptable that two more lives have been taken so cruelly for speaking out against the multiple and systematic attacks on the lives of indigenous peoples at Vale do Javari Indigenous Territory and their home, the Amazon Rainforest. Despite different contexts, we can say that this also happens to those who defend the lives in the favelas and peripheries of this country.
Every day in Brazil, thousands of people cry out and work for justice, whether because their children have been murdered, their homes invaded, their rivers contaminated, their lands devastated, or their bodies violated. The situation worsens, and we are appalled by the violence directed by the State towards a segment of the population, mostly historically subjected to racial and gender violence.
We witness the rooting of militia groups that serve a project of destruction in our country. Through militarization practices in the name of profit at any cost, they threaten the existence of those who insist, in the forests and favelas of this country, on a life that, despite climate collapse and police violence, holds the wisdom of caring and living collectively in their territories.
It is horrifying to note that Brazil is the 4th country where the most human rights activists are murdered globally, behind Colombia, Mexico, and the Philippines. This number has been growing alarmingly in recent years, fueled by the deliberate dismantling of protection and oversight actions by the Bolsonaro government. The situation is even more dramatic considering the historical series produced by the United Nations (UN): between 2015 and 2019, there were 1,323 victims, of which 174 were in Brazil, placing us as the 2nd most dangerous country for human rights defenders.
Dom Phillips visited Maré. Visiting Redes da Maré, he showed interest in understanding the work we do in the region and the main challenges to contribute to improving the quality of life and ensuring the rights of this population. He was always very sensitive to our causes, being an ally in publicizing many of the rights violations that are part of the daily lives of residents, especially those related to neglect and violence by the state.
In May 2019, Dom published an article in The Guardian denouncing the criminal dynamics of the military police during operations in Maré, which use extermination practices and put the lives of the local population at risk through helicopter gunfire at homes and streets in the favela. In his coverage, he noted that "the new far-right governor of Rio, Wilson Witzel, at the time, promised a 'massacre' of armed gangsters using helicopters and snipers – leading to comparisons with the bloody war on drugs of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte. Now, fears are growing that the same policy is being implemented in Rio, fueled by a record 434 deaths in clashes with the police in the first three months of this year." This is how Dom contributed his professionalism to the struggles that need support to achieve justice, whether in the favela or in the forest.
Illustration by @CrisVector. Cariri Magazine Website.
Therefore, it is essential never to forget that a truly democratic society must ensure that those who advocate for expanding rights have their voices made public, heard, and respected, without the risk of having their lives interrupted or violated, becoming victims of the necropolitics that shamelessly strengthens in our country. We cannot live under threats for denouncing the urgent need to build alternative ways of living, whether in the countryside, in the city, or in the forest.
The agenda for promoting sustainable economic and social development is already well-established globally and it is imperative to protect the planet, indigenous peoples, new generations, and the entire world population. Without it, we will deepen environmental tragedies and social inequalities that have intensified in recent years. Bruno and Dom were professionals who put their work at the service of publicizing these miseries in Brazil. They were killed for trying to show the true usurpation of the wealth and democracy of this country that characterizes the times we live in.
We join Bruno and Dom and the thousands of voices in cities and forests fighting for their rights. The collective pain that affects us must not go unpunished. This brutality needs to come to an end. It is unacceptable that, in a country that claims to be democratic, environmental activists and human rights defenders are at risk of their lives for doing their work with coherence and commitment.
We call attention to the fact that these deaths and many others cannot be normalized. We cannot accept that people are threatened and killed for turning their outrage into concrete struggles, for fighting for a more just world and denouncing the absurd and abuses committed every day by paramilitary groups, militias, or even the Brazilian state. This necropolitics must end. At what point in history did we allow the absurd to become the norm? When did the illegal become legal? When did impunity prevail? When did we lose our humanity?
Redes da Maré.
Rio de Janeiro, June 20, 2022.
