São Paulo, Brazil – Brazil’s Federal Police have completed their investigation into the murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous rights lawyer Bruno Pereira, who were killed in June 2022 in the remote Javari Valley region of the Brazilian Amazon.
Authorities have charged nine individuals, with Rubén Dario da Silva Villar, a Peruvian national known as “Colombia”, identified as the mastermind of the killings. “Colombia” is a notorious figure in the region, under investigation for international drug trafficking and illegal fishing operations throughout the tri-border area of Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
According to the final report of the investigators, Villar supplied the ammunition used in the executions, financed the operations of the criminal group and coordinated the efforts to hide the bodies of the victims. The report further states that Pereira and Phillips were targeted for monitoring their work and protecting the environment and indigenous rights in the region, which would have exposed Colombia’s business interests, particularly in relation to illegal fishing.
The investigation also revealed a pattern of threats made by Villar’s group against environmental officials and indigenous communities. Their activities, authorities said, have also caused significant damage to the area’s biodiversity, including depleting fish populations critical to local livelihoods. Villar has been in custody since December 2022 for his role in the murder.
Police have not released the names of the other eight indicted people, but noted that they were involved in the killings and the subsequent hiding of the bodies.
However, the suspects could include those previously charged by federal prosecutors in connection with the execution of the victims and helping to hide the bodies. In June of this year, the Federal Court of the State of Amazonas accepted the charges against five individuals accused of assisting in the cover-up: Francisco Conceição de Freitas, Eliclei Costa de Oliveira, Amarílio de Freitas Oliveira, Otávio da Costa de Oliveira and Edivaldo da Costa de Oliveira . These defendants, awaiting trial, remain free on bail.
In a related case, three men were indicted last year for committing the murders: Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, Jefferson da Silva Lima and Oseney da Costa de Oliveira. Amarildo and Jefferson confessed, leading investigators to the burial site and sunken boat used by the victims on the day they were killed. Both have been detained since June 2022, while Oseney, originally jailed, was moved to house arrest in September due to health concerns.
killings
(Courtesy of Federal Police)
Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips were shot dead on June 5, 2022 while on an expedition in Vale do Javari (Javari Valley), a region plagued by illegal fishing and drug trafficking. Phillips, a contributor to such notable publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian, was on Amazon gathering material for a book on rainforests. Fluent in Portuguese and married to a Brazilian, he had lived in the country for about 15 years. He had taken Pereira’s instructions, knowing that few were as knowledgeable about the indigenous territories and the complexities of the Javar Valley.
Pereira, an experienced field expert with Brazil’s National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) since 2010, had been on leave since 2019. His efforts to fight illegal mining led to clashes with the former president’s administration Jair Bolsonaro, resulting in his removal from official duties. He then became the coordinator for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (Univaja).
With the police investigation complete, the case is now being handed over to federal prosecutors, who are expected to review the findings and potentially bring new charges.
(courtesy of sleeping shed)
