Javari Indigenous Peoples’ Union pays tribute to Bruno, Dom Phillips
On Thursday (Jun. 5), the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (Univaja) paid tribute to the memory of Brazilian indigenous rights activist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips, who were murdered two years ago in the Javari Valley indigenous territory, in the Amazon. During the ceremony, Univaja and 49 other organizations released a manifesto calling for urgent action to protect the “guardians of the forest.”
“Today, on June 5, World Environment Day, three years after the tragedy in the Javari Valley, we not just two names—but a cause. A promise: that the forest will remain standing, and that indigenous peoples will live with dignity, respect, and freedom,” reads an excerpt from the manifesto.
“Bruno and Dom are present in every free word, every courageous report, every act of resistance, and every stand for democracy, human rights, and press freedom,” reads another excerpt from the document.
The manifesto also honors other environmental defenders who were murdered—including Maxciel Pereira dos Santos, Ari Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, Dorothy Stang, Chico Mendes, Emyra Wajãpi, and Mãe Bernadete—and underscores the urgent need for stronger protection of forest peoples, especially in the lead-up to COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference set for November in Belém, Pará state.
“Today, we them with sorrow, but also with pride—because what they did was not in vain,” the manifesto concludes. The tribute was held during the 2nd Exchange between Indigenous Surveillance and Monitoring Groups for the Protection of Isolated Peoples of the Brazilian Amazon, in Massapê Village, located in the Javari Valley indigenous territory, between the municipalities of Guajará and Atalaia do Norte, in the state of Amazonas.
Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips disappeared after ing through the community of São Rafael and were never seen alive again. They were killed for their commitment to defending the peoples of the forest and for opposing the interests of illegal fishing in the region, while also promoting environmental education in indigenous communities.
Indictment
On Thursday, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against Rubén Dario da Silva Villar, known as Colômbia, identified as the mastermind behind the crime.
The indictment was submitted to the federal court in Tabatinga, Amazonas, by Federal Prosecutor Guilherme Diego Rodrigues Leal, with from the Jury Court Assistance Group.
The subject of the complaint, Colômbia—who is actually a Peruvian national—had already been indicted by the Federal Police in November last year as the mastermind behind the crime. He remains in preventive detention.
According to the investigation, Colômbia is suspected of involvement in drug trafficking and of leading an illegal fishing gang operating in the Javari Valley, a border region shared by Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. He also faces charges of drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and using false documents.
Colômbia was first arrested in June 2022 after presenting false documents at the police station in Tabatinga, where he had appeared to deny any involvement in the crime. He was later provisionally released but was re-arrested for violating court-ordered precautionary measures.
