Brazilian Indians receive death threats

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Indians of the Surui tribe in the Brazilian Amazon, who are campaigning for their land to be protected, have received death threats from loggers.

Almir Surui is one of the Surui affected. He has been told, ‘We know who is against the illegal extraction of wood… those people must be killed’.

The tribe’s livelihood is at risk as loggers are illegally cutting down their forest. Almir has warned that a new wave of invaders entered the Surui’s territory last month.

Almir is also campaigning against the construction of the Madeira dams, which will harm vast areas of forest and threaten several tribes, including highly vulnerable uncontacted Indians. Earlier this year, he traveled to Europe to protest against the dams.

The Brazilian government has recently told Almir that his security will be assured under the National Program for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, but he still fears for his life and that of his relatives.

Almir told Survival, ‘To have a better future, we must use the forest responsibly… we are trying to prevent the deforestation, against big powers… we are defending not only the Surui people, but the future of humanity’.

Survival has written to the Brazilian authorities to urge them to remove the invaders as a matter of urgency and to protect the Surui’s land and lives.