UK journalist's widow joins Brazilian minister in supporting indigenous people

[Judi Lynn]

Alessandra Sampaio, widow of British journalist Dom Phillips, left, and Beatriz Matos, widow of Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, centre, talk to indigenous people at Atalaia do Norte (Fabiano Maisonnave/AP)

TUE, 28 FEB, 2023 - 14:19
FABIANO MAISONNAVE, AP

A high-level delegation of the Brazilian government has travelled to the remote corner of the Amazon rainforest where British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were murdered to demonstrate their contrast with former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.

The group was led by Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s first minister of indigenous peoples. She was joined by the widows of both men. The trip involved several flights including a seaplane to arrive in Atalaia do Norte, an impoverished city by the banks of Javari River.

“We are here to re-establish the presence of the Brazilian government in the Javari Valley region,” Ms Guajajara told a mostly indigenous crowd gathered in a small, stifling auditorium. “It is no longer possible for indigenous people to be cowed and afraid within their own territory.”

During his four-year term which ended in January, Mr Bolsonaro attempted to open indigenous territories to mining, large-scale agriculture, and logging.

More:
https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-41082071.html