Hamilton Mourão’s claim sparked anger from Indigenous communities who believe organised crime was involved
Brazil’s vice-president has claimed that British journalist Dom Phillips was “collateral damage” in an attack on his travelling partner, the Indigenous activist Bruno Pereira, as grisly details emerged about the killing of the two men in early June.One of the three men in custody for the killings said he and his accomplices tried to burn the bodies after shooting them dead at the edge of a river in western Brazil.
Amarildo is one of three men in custody in connection with a crime that has shocked Brazil. His brother Oseney was also detained, along with Jefferson Lima da Silva. All three live in the Javari Valley, a remote part of Brazil close to the country’s border with Peru.Phillips and Pereira were returning from a trip in the region on 5 June when they went missing.
“If someone ordered the crime, it’s a businessperson in the region who was feeling aggrieved, mainly by Bruno’s actions,” Mourão said on Monday. “Not Dom’s. Dom got caught up in this story. He was collateral damage. His comments angered the traditional communities where Bruno had worked for years. In a statement, the Univaja group of Indigenous people said Mourão’s comments were disrespectful to Phillips and the local communities.
On Tuesday morning in Atalaia do Norte, the riverside town Phillips and Pereira had been due to arrive at, a group of Indigenous leaders held a memorial service for the two men. With reference to the 1988 Brazilian constitution, which enshrines the land rights of Indigenous people, he added:
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