‘Guardian of the forest’ killed by illegal loggers
A Brazilian land defender was killed and a second injured in an ambush by loggers in the Amazon rainforest, regional authorities reported.
Indigenous leader Paulo Paulino Guajajara and his partner Laercio were members of “Guardians of the forest”, a group who attempt to protect their land from illegal logging.
The two men had left their village on Friday night to look for water when the attack occurred, the Human Rights Secretariat of the Maranhao governorate said on Twitter.
Paulo Paulino was shot in the neck and died in the jungle, according to the International Survival organization, who said his partner was injured but managed to escape.
A logger has also been reported missing.
“The Bolsonaro government has indigenous blood on its hands,” Brazil’s pan-indigenous organization APIB, which represents many of the country’s 900,000 native people, said in a statement on Saturday.
Justice Minister Sergio Moro tweeted that the police will investigate the murder, which took place in the Arariboia indigenous territory, roughly 500 kilometres from state capital Sao Luis.
“Paulino and Laercio are the most recent victims of a state that refuses to comply with what the constitution determines,” Greenpeace said in a statement.
Three other guardians have died in previous attacks.
“It is time to stop this institutionalized genocide. Stop authorizing the bloodshed of our people!” Sonia Guajajara, coordinator of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, said on Twitter.
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