Death threats against Mr. Davi Kopenawa, shaman and internationally renowned Spokesman for the Yanomami tribe in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest

Brazil

August 6, 2014

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a jointprogramme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and theInternational Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgentintervention in the following situation in Brazil.

Brief description of the information:

The Observatory has been informed by reliablesources about death threats against Mr. Davi Kopenawa, shaman and internationally renowned Spokesman for the Yanomamitribe in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and Chairman of the indigenousrights organisation Yanomami Association Hutukara (Hutukara Associação Yanomami - HAY)[1],following his successful campaign against gold miners, who are now facingeviction from Yanomami territory.

(c) Horizon Films / OMCT - 2012

According to the information received, on July28, 2014, Mr. Davi Kopenawa lodged a formal request to the federal policeof Roraima, asking for urgent protection for himself, his sonand colleagues after receiving a seriesof death threats by armed thugs reportedly hired by gold miners operatingillegally on Yanomami land. However, Mr.Kopenawa has yet to receive policeprotection.

In May already, the Director ofHAY Mr. Armindo Góes received a message from gold miners that Mr. Davi Kopenawa would « not bealive by the end of the year ». As a precaution, the association decidedto restrict the activities and movement of its Chairman.

However, in June 2014, two armedmen on motorbikes entered the headquarters of the Socio-EnvironmentalInstitute (Instituto Socioambiental - ISA) in Boa Vista, which works closely with theYanomami, asking for Mr. Davi Kopenawa.The men threatened ISA's staff with guns and stole computers and otherequipment. After the assault, one of the men was arrested and reported that hehad been hired by gold miners.

Since then, men on motorbikes have been repeatedly seen prowlingaround HAY and ISA headquarters and asking for Mr. Davi Kopenawa.

The Observatory isextremely concerned by the above-mentioned death threats against Mr. Davi Kopenawa, which merely aim at sanctioning hishuman rights activities as a renowned indigenous leader and land rights human rights defender.

The Observatory indeedrecalls that Mr. Davi Kopenawa has been at the forefront of the struggle toprotect the Amazon rainforest from destruction and in particular Yanomami landfor decades. Moreover, it is believed that these threats follow his successful fight for the demarcation of the Yanomami territory, after aninvasion of thousands of illegal gold miners in the 1980s decimated the tribe. In February 2014, the Government of Brazil launched in collaboration with HAY a majoroperation to evict hundreds of illegal gold miners and to destroy mining infrastructure from Yanomami land.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities in Brazil, urging them to:

i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrityof Mr. Davi Kopenawa as well as of all HAY members and human rights defenders in Brazil;

ii. Carry out an immediate, thorough,impartial and transparent investigation into the above-mentioned events in order to identify all thoseresponsible, bring them before an independent tribunal, and sanction themas provided by the law;

iii. Put an end to any act of harassment againstMr. Davi Kopenawa and all human rights defenders in Brazil, and ensure in allcircumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimate activities withoutany hindrance or fear of reprisals or intimidation;

iv. Conform to the provisions of the UN Declarationon Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the UnitedNations on December 9, 1998, especially:

- Article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually andin association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection andrealisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national andinternational levels”;

- Article 12.2, which provides that “the State shall take all necessarymeasures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone,individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats,retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitraryaction as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rightsreferred to in the present Declaration”.

v. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamentalfreedoms in accordance with international human rights standards andinternational instruments ratified by Brazil.

Addresses:

· H.E. Ms.Dilma Rousseff, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Palácio do Planalto, Praça dos Três Poderes,70150-900, Brasilia DF, Brazil.

· Ms. IdeliSalvatti, Secretary for Human Rights, Secretariat for HumanRights of the Presidency of theRepublic, Setor Comercial Sul - B, Quadra 9, Lote C, Edificio ParqueCidade Corporate, Torre A, 10º andar, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brasil - CEP:70308-200. Email : direitoshumanos@sdh.gov.br; snpddh@sdh.gov.br. Twitter : @DHumanosBrasil

· Ms. Izabella Mônica Vieira Teixeira,State Minister of the Environment, Ministry of the Environment, Esplanada dosMinistérios - Bloco B, CEP 70068-900 - Brasília/DF, Brazil. FAX: 2028-1756.Email : gm@mma.gov.br Twitter : @mmeioambiente

· H.E. Ms.Regina Maria Cordeiro Dunlop, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Brazil tothe United Nations in Geneva, Chemin Louis-Dunant 15 (6th Floor), 1202 Geneva,Switzerland. Fax: +41 22 910 07 51, Email: delbrasgen@itamaraty.gov.br

· H.E. Mr.André Mattoso Maia Amado, Ambassador, Embassy of Brazil in Brussels, Louizalaan350, 1050 Brussels, Belgium. Fax : +32 2 640 81 34, Email: brasbruxelas@beon.be

Please also write to the diplomatic mission orembassy of Brazil in your respective country.

***
Geneva-Paris, August 6, 2014

Kindly inform us of anyaction undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

[1] For more information on challenges and threats facing the indigenousYanomami and their defenders inrelation to illegal mining in Amazonia, see OMCTDocumentary "Amazon Indians on borrowed time": http://www.omct.org/human-rights-defenders/events/brazil/2012/09/d21946/