Public Note #33 – Who slanders who: in support of Sônia Guajajara and APIB

The Arns Commission expresses its indignation at and its repudiation of the act of intimidation promoted by the federal government, through the Federal Police (Polícia Federal – PF, in Portuguese), against Sônia Guajajara, the executive coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil – Apib, in Portuguese) and other Suruí Indigenous leaders from the state of Rondônia.

Sônia Guajajara has been wrongly accused of slandering the federal government. According to the information available, the National Indigenous Foundation (Fundação Nacional do Índio – Funai, in Portuguese) filed an indictment to the Federal Police accusing Apib and Sônia Guajajara of defamation due to the diffusion of the web series Maracá, which describes violations of rights committed against Indigenous peoples amidst the pandemic context. As a result, Sônia Guajajara received a subpoena from the Federal Police and there are reports that Suruí leaders in Rondônia were also being subpoenaed due to similar allegations.

Three Indigenous people who present themselves as spokespersons for a “Group of Indigenous farmers and producers” started a campaign of intimidation and defamation by sending, on March 29, a letter to the European Parliament and other European bodies, accusing Sônia Guajajara of “betraying the homeland” for defending the rights of Indigenous peoples against the violations and negligence of the federal government.

Funai, instead of fulfilling its institutional mission of protecting the constitutional rights of Indigenous peoples by denouncing violations of these rights in the pandemic context, as well as by confronting the increasingly catastrophic invasions of Indigenous lands, has been taking on the embarrassing role of silencing complaints and intimidating Indigenous people – in this case, with the inexcusable help of the Federal Police.

It is up to Brazilian society to repudiate this affront to the rights of Sônia Guajajara and other Indigenous leaders. Moreover, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Chamber of Deputies must investigate, through clear and objective measures, the responsibilities for the practice of yet another arbitrary act, on the part of those who do not know and do not want to live in a regime where freedom and democracy prevail as a corollary to opposition and contestation. The Arns Commission deplores yet another display of disdain and contempt for Indigenous peoples..