A June 9, 2023 Mongabay article by Aimee Gabay discusses how Indigenous groups, who continue to face an escalation of police violence, are taking urgent measures to reclaim their ancestral lands in Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state. The majority of victims were protecting their territory from the expansion of large-scale agriculture, mining or development projects.
Some key facts fro the article include:
- Brazil’s largest coalition of Indigenous groups has filed a motion with the country’s highest court in response to escalating police brutality against Indigenous peoples in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
- In the first seven months of 2022, 759 violent incidents with police were recorded, involving a total of 113,654 families and 33 killings in land-related conflicts in rural areas of the country, marking a 150% increase from the first six months of 2021.
- Most cases of violence are tied to disputes over non-demarcation lands; Indigenous peoples, attempting to reclaim their ancestral territory, often run into conflicts with landowners, such as farmers or developers, which end in forceful police interventions.
- The Indigenous coalition is requesting the installation of GPS equipment and recording systems on security officers’ uniforms and vehicles, as well as measures aimed to improve their training and public protocols to protect human rights.
The entire article can be read here.
