The Amazon killings in June probably happened after the deceased tried to photograph a boat belonging to their killers, according to the office of Brazil’s attorney general.
Less than 30 minutes ago
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British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were killed on their way back from a trip in a remote part of the Amazon in June, where drug trafficking, unregistered gold mining and illegal fishing are rife.
On Friday, it became known that the double murder probably happened because Pereira asked Phillips to photograph the boat of the three men who are accused of killing them.
Killed because he was a witness
– Pereira was killed by three bullets, one in the back with no possibility of defence, says a statement from the police.
– Phillips was simply killed because he was with Pereira, to ensure that there were no witnesses to the murder, it continues.
The police are investigating whether a possible link to illegal fishing in areas belonging to the indigenous population, a topic that was important to Pereira, may have been the motive for the murder.
So far, three men have been charged with the murder, and a fisherman has been arrested for having confessed to burying the dead. Two of the three accused plead guilty.
–Blaming Bolsonaro
Philips, who has written many articles about the Amazon and regularly wrote for the British newspaper The Guardian, was working on a book about the plight of the indigenous people in the remote Javari valley.
Pereira, who accompanied him on the trip, had received countless death threats for his work for the indigenous people.
Activists blame the killings on President Jair Bolsonaro, who has opened up the commercial exploitation of the Amazon rainforest at the expense of the indigenous population and the environment.
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