This resembles, ten days later, the outcome of the intriguing disappearance of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon. A suspect, arrested after the disappearance of the two men, admitted to having buried their bodies, and showed the authorities the whereabouts of them.
“Last night we obtained the confession of the first of the two suspects arrested (…) who recounted in detail how the crime was committed and told us where the bodies were buried”, explained, Wednesday, June 15, at a press conference, the head of the federal police of the State of Amazonas, Eduardo Alexandre Fontes. The latter added that the suspect, a 41-year-old fisherman named Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, had admitted to having participated in the « crime », without specifying its role. He had been brought by the police to the scene of the search to show them the precise location, and said the two men had been killed “by firearm”said the policeman, who does not rule out further arrests.
Shortly before, television cameras had filmed the suspect leaving a police station to be taken by boat to the scene of the searches carried out by the police.
“Excavations have been carried out on site, the excavations will continue, but human remains have already been found”he said. “As soon as we have been able to verify thanks to the expertise that these are indeed the remains of the bodies of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, they will be returned to the families”.
Two suspects arrested
The journalist’s Brazilian wife thanked in a statement “all the teams that carried out the research, in particular the indigenous volunteers” whose absence from the press conference was criticized by many observers. “Even if we are still awaiting final confirmations, this tragic outcome puts an end to the anxiety of not knowing where Dom and Bruno were. Now we can take them home and say goodbye with loveshe said. Today we also begin our fight for justice (…) We will only have peace when the necessary measures are taken to ensure that such tragedies do not happen again. »
Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, nicknamed “Pelado” (“naked”, in French), was arrested on June 7. Witnesses said they saw him pass at high speed on board a boat going in the same direction as the boat of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, before their disappearance.
Le second suspect, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, said « Of the Saints »was arrested on Tuesday, “suspected of involvement in the case”, according to the federal police. According to the G1 site, it would be the brother of the first suspect.
President Jair Bolsonaro had already mentioned Monday “viscera floating in water” which would have been found during the search, information not confirmed by the police. On Sunday, the authorities announced that they had found personal effects of the two missing persons.
The British journalist and Brazilian expert were last seen on June 5during an expedition in the Javari Valley area.
This region close to the border with Peru and Colombia is reputed to be very dangerous, there are multiple drug trafficking, fishing or illegal gold panning. It has become in recent years a strategic axis for the gangs of drug traffickers who transport by river cocaine or cannabis produced in neighboring countries of Brazil.
Author of dozens of reports on the Amazon, Dom Phillips, 57, moved to Brazil fifteen years ago and is married to a Brazilian. He had once again traveled to the area as part of his research for a book on environmental conservation.
Many threats
Bruno Pereira, 41, a recognized expert and defender of the rights of indigenous peoples, worked for many years at the Brazilian government agency for indigenous affairs (Funai). In particular, he directed the Funai branch in Atalaia do Norte, a place where the two men were supposed to go by boat when they disappeared, as well as a program to protect isolated indigenous groups in the Javari Valley.
The Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (Univaja), whose members took part in the searches, described the murder as “political crimes”. Univaja recalled having already alerted the authorities to the presence of groups of illegal fishermen and hunters linked to drug traffickers, “but action was not taken quickly enough. This is why today we are witnessing the murder of our colleagues Pereira and Phillips”they accuse.
“When the police and the press leave, what will happen to us? Will we continue to live under threat? »asks the organization.
Bruno Pereira has repeatedly recounted having been the target of threats by loggers, miners and illegal fishermen who tried to encroach on protected land.
The disappearance of the two men has sparked outrage around the world, with reactions from high profile political figures and celebrities such as members of Irish rock band U2.
“Poor seen” in the Amazon
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who favors the mining and farming of indigenous reserves in the Amazon, has been heavily criticized for calling the two men’s expedition a“unsavory adventure”. On Wednesday he claimed that Dom Phillips was “bad view” in the Amazon because he had written “numerous reports against gold panners, on the environment”.
“In this very isolated area, a lot of people didn’t like him. He should have taken extra precautions. (…) Over there, there are pirates on the river, it is unwise to survey the place without being armed”he added, during an interview with the YouTube channel of journalist Leda Nagle.
” It’s very sad “reacted, for his part, the former left-wing president Lula da Silva (2003-2011), presidential candidate of 2022, to the announcement of the Federal Police. “People who died defending indigenous lands and the environment. Brazil can’t be that.”he wrote on Twitter.