Brazil police conclude investigation into murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira

São Paulo, Brazil – Brazil’s Federal Police have concluded their investigation into the murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous rights advocate Bruno Pereira, who were killed in June 2022 in the remote Javari Valley region of the Brazilian Amazon.

Authorities have indicted nine individuals, with Rubén Dario da Silva Villar, a Peruvian national known as “Colombia,” identified as the mastermind behind the killings. “Colombia” is a notorious figure in the region, under investigation for international drug trafficking and illegal fishing operations across the tri-border area of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

According to the investigators’ final report, Villar supplied the ammunition used in the executions, funded the criminal group’s operations, and coordinated efforts to conceal the victims’ bodies. The report further states that Pereira and Phillips were targeted because of their work monitoring and protecting the environment and Indigenous rights in the region, which would have exposed the business interests of “Colombia,” especially with regard 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, also have caused significant harm to the area’s biodiversity, including the depletion of fish populations critical to local subsistence. Villar has been in custody since December 2022 for his role in the murders.

The police have not disclosed the names of the other eight individuals indicted but noted that they were involved in the murders and the subsequent concealment of the bodies.

However, the suspects may include those previously charged by federal prosecutors in connection with executing the victims and helping to hide the corpses. In June this year, Amazonas State Federal Court accepted charges against five individuals accused of aiding in the concealment: 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 carrying out the killings: 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 the sunken boat used by the victims the day they were murdered. Both have been detained since June 2022, while Oseney, initially jailed, was transferred to house arrest in September due to health concerns.

The Murders

Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips were fatally shot on June 5, 2022 while on an expedition in the Vale do Javari (Javari Valley) a region plagued by illegal fishing and drug trafficking. Phillips, a contributor to esteemed publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian, was in the Amazon gathering material for a book on the rainforest. Fluent in Portuguese and married to a Brazilian, he had lived in the country for about 15 years. He had enlisted Pereira’s guidance, knowing that few were as knowledgeable about the Indigenous territories and complexities of the Javari Valley.

Pereira, a seasoned field expert with Brazil’s National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) since 2010, had been on leave since 2019. His efforts to combat illegal mining led to clashes with the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro, resulting in his removal from official duties. He subsequently became a coordinator for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (Univaja).

With the police investigation complete, the case now is passed to federal prosecutors, who are expected to review the findings and potentially file new charges.

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