Brazilian officials are investigating traces of blood found in the ongoing search for a British journalist and an indigenous expert as Hollywood celebrities, sports stars and lawmakers make urgent calls for action to find the men.
Dom Phillips, a regular contributor to the Guardian and the Washington Post, and Bruno Pereira were last seen on Sunday in the Sao Rafael region of the Amazon rainforest, where they disappeared after passing through a lawless region by boat. .
Now, two men who were with the couple a day before they disappeared said on Thursday they tried to seek help from authorities after being threatened by three local fishermen who threw their weapons at them the day before they disappeared.
Paulo Marubo, president of an association of indigenous people in the Javari Valley, Univaja, said Phillips took a picture of the men at the time, including local resident Amarildo da Costa, who is considered the main suspect in the disappearance of the couple.
Dom Phillips was last seen with Bruno Pereira on Sunday in the Sao Rafael region of the Amazon rainforest. AFP via Getty Images
After being threatened by locals, the two men who were with Phillips and Pereira said the couple went to a nearby federal base to seek help from officials.
The base permanently houses Brazil’s Indigenous Affairs Office, known as FUNAI, as well as National Guard police.
“We went there, but they didn’t do anything,” said Raimundo Mayoruna, one of the men who was with Phillips and Pereira the night before they disappeared. “It simply came to our notice then. They didn’t want to help us. “
Navy sailors search for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira on a speedboat in the indigenous area of the Javari Valley in Brazil on June 9, 2022. AP
ASK FOR ACTION
Actor Mark Ruffalo, football legend Pelé and U.S. President Joe Biden are among the prominent names urging the Brazilian government to step up efforts to find the missing men on Sunday.
There needs to be an international response to that. The tendency of attacks, assassinations or the disappearance of journalists in right-wing “democracies” must be denounced. https://t.co/0pBQGOpUIL
– Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) June 9, 2022
The Shutter Island actor called on Twitter for an “international response”, highlighting the worrying number of journalists “attacked, killed or missing”.
“There has to be an international response to this. The tendency of journalists who are attacked, killed or disappeared in right-wing ‘democracies’ must be denounced,” Ruffalo tweeted.
Football superstar Pelé said he had been “moved” by the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira, as he called on leaders to step up their research efforts.
“The struggle for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous groups belongs to us all,” tweeted the multi-winner Golden Ball athlete.
“I am moved by the disappearance of Dom Phillips and Bruno Ferreira, who are dedicating their lives to this cause. I join the many voices calling for intensified research. “
The struggle for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous groups belongs to us all. I am moved by the disappearance of Dom Phillips and Bruno Ferreira, who dedicate their lives to this cause. I join the many voices calling for intensified research.
– Pele (@Pele) June 8, 2022
Brazilian actress Camila Pitanga also spoke about the test on Twitter and wrote: “WHERE IS BRUNO AND DOM? @Govbr @DefesaGovBR and @policiafederal, Bruno and Dom have been missing for over 48 hours and we need ALL the resources find them as soon as possible.
“Contempt for environmental activists must end.”
On Thursday, President Biden met with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Los Angeles to discuss what is being done to find the missing men.
WHERE IS BRUNO AND DOM? @govbr @DefesaGovBR and @policiafederal, Bruno and Dom have been missing for over 48 hours and we need ALL the resources to find them as soon as possible. Contempt for environmental activists must end.
– Camila Pitanga (@CamilaPitanga) June 8, 2022
When the couple met for emergency talks, two trucks parked in the middle of an avenue displayed illustrations by Phillips and Pereira, along with the message, “THREATENED. NOW MISSING. WHERE ARE DOM AND BRUNO?”
Several U.S. lawmakers called for action on Twitter, including Sen. Ed Markey, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
I am concerned about reports that Brazilian Bolsonaro wants to avoid discussing Amazon deforestation and efforts to undermine the integrity of Brazil’s upcoming elections at this week’s Summit of the Americas. The United States must put pressure on both sides.
– Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) June 8, 2022
“I am concerned about reports that Brazilian Bolsonaro wants to avoid discussing the deforestation of the Amazon and efforts to undermine the integrity of Brazil’s upcoming elections at this week’s Summit of the Americas. The United States must put pressure on him on both sides, “he tweeted.
CASE DETAILS
Police found blood on a boat belonging to the local fisherman da Costa, who was arrested and questioned by police.
On Thursday, officials said a forensic officer and state police were checking for “possible genetic material” on the vessel that contained bloodstains to see if it belonged to a human or an animal.
A volunteer diver helps Navy men in search of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira in the indigenous territory of the Javari Valley on June 9, 2022.AP
Da Costa, also known as “Pelado” in his community, was charged with illegal possession of restricted ammunition.
Police say he was one of the last people to see the two individuals missing and suspects he was involved in the illegal fishing of a buyer in Peru.
In their search for the two missing men, officials say they are focusing on people involved in illegal fishing and poaching on indigenous lands.
Police are investigating six more people in connection with the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira.
Pereira, who recently received threats for his work in the fight against illegal fishing, and Phillips were on an information trip to the Javari Valley, a remote area of the jungle near the Peruvian and Colombian borders. disappear.
The region often sees illegal hunters and fishermen passing by, according to police.
Phillips, who has been reporting from Brazil for more than a decade, has been working on a book on preserving the Amazon.
Phillips has also contributed to the Washington Post and the New York Times. He currently resides in Salvador, a city in the state of Bahia in Brazil, with his wife, Alessandra Sampaio.
With post cables