Murder of Brazilian indigenous leader a ‘worrying symptom’ of land invasion

29 July 2019 Human Rights

In the wake of the murder of indigenous leader Emrya Wajãpi in Brazil, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has called on the country’s authorities to “react quickly and decisively” to protect the rights of indigenous peoples on their lands.

Emrya Wajãpi was killed on July 23 in Amapá, a region in the far north of Brazil, bordering French Guyana.

According to media reports, witnesses saw a number of gold miners enter the protected reserve of the Wajãpi community, then stab their leader to death.

#Brazil: Effective measures should be taken to save lives & physical integrity of the #Waiãpi people. I urge Gov to act decisively to halt invasion of #indigenous territories & ensure their collective rights to their land –UN Human Rights Chief @mbachelet: https://t.co/XE1VN9WxQ8 pic.twitter.com/YWNyr1b1M9

UN Human Rights

UNHumanRights

“The murder of Emrya Wajãpi, leader of the indigenous Wajãpi people, is tragic and reprehensible in its own right”, said Ms. Bachelet on Monday.

“It is also a disturbing symptom of the growing problem of encroachment on indigenous land – especially forests – by miners, loggers and farmers in Brazil.”

According to the UN human rights chief, the proposed policy of the Brazilian Government to open the Amazon up to mining could lead to “incidents of violence, intimidation and killings.”

The UN human rights chief underlined that the protection of indigenous peoples and lands is not only an issue in Brazil, but the whole world.

While some progress has been made in recent years, enforcement of existing laws and policies has been weak, and in some cases existing environmental and indigenous institutional frameworks have been dismantled: the statement declared that this “appears now to be the case” in Brazil.

Ms. Bachelet called on the Government of Brazil to reconsider its policies towards indigenous peoples and their lands, so that Emrya Wajãpi’s murder does not herald a new wave of violence aimed at scaring people off their ancestral lands.

This could, she continued, enable “further destruction of the rainforest, with all the scientifically-established ramifications that has, for the exacerbation of climate change.”

♦ Receive daily updates directly in your inbox - Subscribe here to a topic.

♦ Download the UN News app for your iOS or Android devices.

brazil

News Tracker: Past Stories on This Issue

Located in southern Morocco, the Imegdale territory is located in the Western High Atlas range. The oldest section of the range, the High Atlas has a wide variety of natural and cultural assets, which cohere as a unique landscape and ecosystem.

FROM THE FIELD: Balancing Morocco’s indigenous culture and conservation

5 June 2019

Climate and Environment

The delicate balance between indigenous farming practices and conservation in Morocco is under threat, but according to the UN, local communities in the Western High Atlas Mountains are finding ways to preserve traditions and still make a living from the land.

Discrimination remains a major barrier to people accessing prevention services, #HIV testing and treatment and care, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

A major win for transgender rights: UN health agency drops ‘gender identity disorder’, as official diagnosis

30 May 2019

Human Rights

“To reflect critical advances in science and medicine”, the World Health Organization, WHO, has removed so-called “gender identity disorder” from its official manual of diagnoses, which is being hailed as a major win for transgender rights.