Brothers admit to killing British journalist, Brazil police say
Dom Phillips and his guide Bruno Pereira went missing on June 5 in a remote part of the Amazon
Soraya Ebrahimi
Jun 15, 2022
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Human remains were found buried at a site in the Brazilian Amazon during a search for a missing British journalist and an indigenous expert, a minister said Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, a suspect in the case was taken by police to the search site along the Itaquai River, reports said.
Dom Phillips and his guide Bruno Pereira went missing on June 5 in a remote part of the Amazon that is rife with environmental crimes, including illegal mining, fishing and logging, and trafficking.
"I was just informed that human remains were found in the place where digging was taking place," Justice Minister Anderson Torres said on Twitter before police were due to give an update on the case.
Mr Torres's comment came after media reports said two suspects told police that the missing men had been killed and confessed to their involvement. Authorities have not confirmed these reports.
More:
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2022/06/16/brothers-admit-to-killing-british-journalist-brazil-police-say/
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JUNE 15, 2022 / 10:04 PM / CBS/AP
A Brazilian federal police investigator reported Wednesday night that a suspect has confessed to fatally shooting an Indigenous expert and a British journalist in a remote part of the Amazon. The suspect took officers to where the bodies of the two men were buried, the investigator said.
Police said at a news conference in the Amazon city of Manaus that the prime suspect in the case confessed Tuesday night and detailed what happened to the pair, who went missing June 5. They said other arrests would be made soon in the case, but gave no details.
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Indigenous people who were with Pereira and Phillips have said that Pelado brandished a rifle at them on the day before the two men disappeared.
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Authorities began scouring the area and discovered a backpack, laptop and other personal belongings submerged underwater Sunday. Police said that evening that they had identified the items as the belongings of both missing men, including a health card and clothes of Pereira. The backpack was determined to belong to Phillips.
More:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brazil-amazon-missing-men-bruno-pereira-dom-phillips-bodies-found-suspect-confession/
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Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, AKA "Pelado"
Brazilian authorities confirm human remains found in search for missing journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira
June 15, 2022 9:47 PM EDT
Rio de Janeiro, June 15, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists Wednesday expressed its deep distress over reports that human remains were found in the Brazilian Amazon during the search for missing journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, and called on authorities to conduct a comprehensive forensic analysis and investigation into the case.
Phillips and Pereira went missing the morning of Sunday, June 5, while on a reporting trip in Amazonas state’s Javari Valley region for Phillips’ book on the Amazon forest.
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According to Fontes, Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, also known as “Pelado”, a suspect who had been arrested the previous week, confessed on Tuesday night to killing Phillips and Pereira. Fontes said the suspect led the search teams to the site on Wednesday morning, where the remains were found.
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Phillips, a freelance British journalist based in Brazil, had reported for The Guardian, Financial Times, Washington Post, and New York Times, where he covered illegal mining, deforestation, and human rights issues in the Amazon.
More:
https://cpj.org/2022/06/brazilian-authorities-confirm-human-remains-found-in-search-for-missing-journalist-dom-phillips-and-indigenous-expert-bruno-pereira/
By AFP
Published June 15, 2022
Veteran foreign correspondent Dom Phillips is pictured in Aldeia Maloca Papiu in Brazil's Roraima State in November 2019 - Copyright AFP Mahmoud ZAYYAT
Marcelo SILVA DE SOUSA
Veteran British freelance journalist Dom Phillips and respected Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira shared a passion for the farthest reaches of the Amazon rainforest, where they went missing and were buried, according to a confession obtained by police.
The pair were last seen early on June 5 traveling by boat in Brazil’s Javari Valley, a far-flung jungle region near the border with Peru, where Phillips was researching a book.
The region has seen a surge of criminal activity in recent years, including illegal logging, gold mining, poaching and drug trafficking — incursions Phillips has reported on and Pereira has vigorously fought.
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Pereira was especially revered for his knowledge of the Javari Valley, where he was also FUNAI’s regional coordinator for years.
But he was on leave from the agency after butting heads with the new leadership brought in by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces accusations of dismantling Indigenous and environmental protection programs since taking office in 2019.
Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/phillips-and-pereira-two-men-who-loved-the-amazon/article#ixzz7WL910eIb
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FUNAI - National Indian Foundation (Brazil)
FUNAI, the National Indian Foundation, is the Brazilian government body that establishes and carries out policies relating to indigenous peoples. FUNAI is responsible for mapping out and protecting lands traditionally inhabited and used by these communities. It is charged with preventing invasions of indigenous territories by outsiders.
https://www.survivalinternational.org/about/funai