The Federal Police were called in to investigate the disappearance of the English journalist Dom Phillips, a contributor to the Guardian newspaper, and the indigenist Bruno Pereira, from Funai (National Indian Foundation), traveling through the Javari Valley, in Amazonas.
According to Unijava (União dos Povos Indígenas do Vale do Javari) and OPI (Observatory for the Human Rights of Isolated and Recent Contact Indigenous Peoples), the last record of the two occurred on Sunday morning (5), in the community of San Rafael.
They were returning from Lago do Jaburu, where they visited a Funai base, heading towards Atalaia do Norte, and stopped in São Rafael for a meeting with the community member nicknamed “Churrasco” — they talked to his wife, since he was not on the spot, according to the institutions.
“Then they left for Atalaia do Norte, a trip that takes approximately two hours. Thus, they should have arrived at around 8:00 am, 9:00 am in the city, which did not happen”, says a statement from Unijava and OPI.
“We emphasize that in the week of the disappearance, according to reports from Unijava employees, the team received threats in the field. The threat was not the first, others were already being made to other members of Unijava’s technical team”, the note continues.
The PF confirmed that it was notified of the disappearance. Unijava says it has already sent two search teams, which have found no trace of them.
According to reports obtained by these expeditions, they were sighted in the community of São Gabriel, heading towards Atalaia do Norte.
“Dom Phillips, an excellent journalist, regular contributor to the Guardian and a great friend, is missing in Vale do Javari in the Amazon following death threats to his fellow indigenist Bruno Pereira, who is also missing,” said Jonathan Watts, editor of the Guardian.
