Human rights activists in Brazil have warned that the country’s authorities are targeting indigenous leaders after police launched investigations into two prominent critics of the government of Jair Bolsonaro.
Sônia Guajajara, the head of Brazil’s largest indigenous organization, the Association of Indigenous Peoples (Apib), and Almir Suruí had been put under investigation last month over social media campaigns raising awareness of the threat that Covid-19 poses to Brazil’s indigenous population.
Both cases were closed this week after federal judges ruled that there were no grounds for the investigations and described the situation as an “illegal embarrassment”.
But Natalie Unterstell, the founder of the Política por Inteiro thinktank, said the episode exposed how the government is fostering violence against indigenous populations.
“Speeches by the president and his ministers are constantly attacking indigenous peoples,” Unterstell said. “This sets an environment of violence. We need antidotes against it.”
Guajajara described the investigation launched against her as “an attempt at intimidation and to avoid revealing the [government’s] inaction [in response the pandemic.]”
But both leaders were accused of spreading “fake news” by Funai, the government agency which is officially responsible for protecting indigenous interests. In a statement, Funai said it would not comment on the investigation.
“It is scary to receive a subpoena from the police for a complaint made by Funai itself. This is unprecedented. It is Bolsonaro’s new Funai, which has completely reversed its role of protecting indigenous peoples,” Guajajara added.
Apib lodged complaints this week with the supreme court and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, over what it described as the Bolsonaro government’s “persecution” of indigenous people.
Unterstell, who tracks climate policy in Brazil, said other indigenous people and environmental activists have been investigated for criticising the government.
“These are not isolated cases: others have been summoned by the police in similar circumstances,” said Unterstell, the founder of the Política por Inteiro thinktank. “It is important to note that levels of civic freedom are going down in Brazil.”
According to indigenous leaders, Funai has also targeted people working at its regional units and requested information about donations to Apib and other organisations during the pandemic.
The cases against Guajajara and Suruí were opened just days after Bolsonaro pledged to the international community that he would make efforts to address tribal rights.
Under increasing international pressure to slow down deforestation in the Amazon and to open a dialogue with indigenous communities, the president struck a conciliatory tone at the climate summit convened by Joe Biden in late April.
But soon after, the president approved a 24% cut to the environment ministry’s budget and highlighted, during a livestream, the plans to open indigenous territories to mining. Marcelo Xavier, the head of Funai, who took part in the broadcast, supported the president’s views.
The investigation into Guajajara focuses on a multimedia web series produced by indigenous groups, and featuring indigenous leaders and international celebrities, including the actor Alec Baldwin and singer Caetano Veloso. It was a part of an international fundraising campaign to help fight Covid-19, which has disproportionately affected Brazil’s indigenous people.