Jair Bolsonaro does not rule out that the disappeared in the Amazon have been “executed”

The Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonarowished this Tuesday that a British journalist and an indigenista disappeared in a remote corner of the Amazon “are found”, but admitted among the hypotheses that “they have been executed”.

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In an interview with the SBT television channel, Bolsonaro spoke about the disappearance of the British journalist Dom Phillipsa contributor to The Guardian, and the Brazilian indigenist Bruno Araujo Pereiralast seen on Sunday morning in the Javari Valley, one of the most remote areas of the Amazon.

Bolsonaro assured that, from the same Sunday, when they were informed about the disappearance, the police and military authorities of the region began the searches and cited that statements were even taken from people who had had contact with Philips Y Araujo in the last days.

Likewise, he implied that the two disappeared persons could have been reckless, when entering that region.

“Really, two people on a boat, in a region like that, completely wild, is not recommended,” because in that area “anything can happen,” the president said.

“It could have been an accident, it could be that they have been executed”, but “we hope and pray to God that they will be found soon”, Bolsonaro pointed out.

The Javari Valley is an extensive region of rivers and jungle in the heart of the Amazon, bordering Peru, and is home to the largest number of isolated indigenous people in the world. The area is threatened by illegal fishing and mining and in recent years has become a drug trafficking route.

The track of Phillips and Araújo, a deep connoisseur of the area, was lost when they were traveling from the community of Sao Rafael to the city of Atalaia do Norte, in the state of Amazonas, where they should have arrived on Sunday morning.

They were traveling in a new boat, with 70 liters of gasoline, enough for the trip, and were last seen near the community of Sao Gabriel, a few kilometers from Sao Rafael.

Araujowho has been working for years in that region, had been the object of various threats from mafias of illegal miners, loggers and even drug traffickers operating in the region, which has raised fears of a murder among his relatives.

Philipsfor his part, is a veteran journalist based in Brazil for 15 years and who has collaborated with various international media, such as the Financial Times, the New York Times or the Washington Post, among others, and is currently working on an investigation for a book on the Javari Valley.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.