Overview
- About 7,000 people from some 200 groups marched in Brasília on Tuesday during the 22nd Free Land Encampment to demand faster recognition of Indigenous territories.
- Chief Raoni said he will campaign for Lula’s reelection and opposed the Ferrogrão railway as Indigenous protesters headed to the Supreme Court, which was set to resume a case on changing a park’s borders for the project.
- Organizers accused Congress of siding with agribusiness and said slow demarcation leaves communities exposed to land grabs, logging, and illegal mining.
- In February, Justice Flávio Dino ordered Congress to write mining rules for Indigenous lands within two years and recognized conditional mining rights for the Cinta Larga if they meet environmental and community approval.
- Activists pointed to live flashpoints, including opposition to Belo Sun’s gold mine licensing in Pará and reports of violent attacks on Pataxó communities in Bahia, while noting that recognized territories curb deforestation and about 100 areas still await demarcation.