Indigenous Peoples Set Up Protest Camp in Brasilia

From August 22 to 28, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) and its regional organizations will carry out a national mobilization to defend their ancestral territories.

RELATED:

Amazon Records the Highest Deforestation Level in a Decade

On Sunday, the Indigenous peoples established a camp in Brasilia where the headquarters of the State functions are located. Throughout the week, they will carry out demonstrations to reject President Jair Bolsonaro and prevent the Supreme Court of Brazil (STF) from approving the "Time Frame", which is a norm related to the demarcation of their ancestral lands.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Francisco Cali Tzay asked the Supreme Court to reject a legal proposal promoted by private companies, which are only interested in exploiting the natural resources found within the Indigenous territories.

"The acceptance of the 'time frame' doctrine would generate a significant denial of justice for many Indigenous peoples," he said regarding a norm that will speed up territorial demarcations so as to avoid greater control of Indigenous peoples within territories having important ecosystems.

"According to the Constitution, Indigenous peoples have the right to permanent possession of the lands they traditionally occupy," said the rapporteur, as reported by UOL.

The extraordinary appeal known as the “Time Frame” will establish the legal parameters through which the federal government and the judges must resolve matters related to Indigenous lands.

"If the STF accepts the Time Frame... by the end of this month, it will legitimize violence against Indigenous peoples and intensify conflicts in the Amazon rainforest and other areas," Tzay warned, adding that "the decision of the STF... will also indicate whether Brazil intends to comply with its international human rights obligations or not."

He recalled that the Supreme Court and all public institutions are obliged to respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization.