118 Indigenous People Assassinated in Brazil Last Year

Brazil's Indigenous Missionary Council,CIMI, says at least 118 Indigenous people were killed in the country last year.

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“One of the focal points of the political setbacks that are pounding most of Brazilians has been the appropriation of the ancestral lands belonging to indigenous peoples,” stated the organization.

The 2016 report, presented by CIMI representatives at a news conference, said measures adopted by President Michel Temer's government have considerably reduced the size of Indigenous reserves.

The CIMI also denounced the poor quality of health services for Indigenous peoples, especially children.

A total of 735 children below 5 years of age living on Indigenous territory died in 2016 because of the lack of medical facilities — 599 died in 2015 for the same reasons.

The suicide rate also rose from 91 in 2015 to 106 in 2016, according to the official estimate — most of the deaths occurred in "small villages located in remote areas, far away from the rivers of the state of Amazonas,” added the report.

The document also lists 23 homicide attempts, 10 death threats, 11 serious injuries, 17 racist slurs and 13 cases of sexual violence carried out against Indigenous people.

It also detailed 59 cases of land invasion and deforestation across the country, illegally carried out by entrepreneurs from the forestry industry, despite the fact that the lands were designated as natural reserves.