Forest Peoples Programme letter to the President of Brazil raises concerns over recent death threats against Yanomami spokesman Davi Kopenawa

The Forest peoples Programme and other Civil Society organisations are requesting that the Brazilian authorities provide protection to Davi Kopenawa, the internationally renowned spokesman for the Yanomami tribe in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.

Davi Kopenawa has demanded urgent police protection following a series of death threats by armed thugs reportedly hired by goldminers operating illegally on Yanomami land. Davi Kopenawa has been at the forefront of the struggle for the protection of Yanomami land for over 30 yearsWe ask that the Brazilian authorities urgently investigate who is behind these threats and to increase protections for the Yanomami people.

Statement by Yanomami Association Hutukara (PDF, 98KB, Portuguese)

FPP letter to the President of Brazil (PDF, 527 KB, English)