Hundreds killed in Brazil's Amazon over land, resources in past decade: HRW report
SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 / 11:05 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Lisandra Paraguassu, Marcelo Rochabrun
3 MIN READ
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A Human Rights Watch report on Tuesday found that more than 300 people have been killed over the past decade in conflicts over the use of land and resources in the Amazon, many by organized criminal networks profiting from illegal deforestation.
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“This really shows the level of impunity,” Cesar Munoz, a senior investigator at Human Rights Watch told Reuters on the sidelines of an event in Sao Paulo to discuss the report. “There is really a failure of investigation and accountability.”
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Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, responding to the report, told Reuters the government has combated criminality, including in the environmental sphere. He pointed to the mobilizing of troops to combat illegal fires and other environmental crimes in recent weeks.
About 60% of the Amazon rainforest, considered a crucial barrier against climate change, lies in Brazil. Destruction of the forest has surged this year, and the highest number of fires since 2010 has drawn worldwide condemnation of the policies of President Jair Bolsonaro, who advocates opening the Amazon to development.
More:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-environment/hundreds-killed-in-brazils-amazon-over-land-resources-in-past-decade-hrw-report-idUKKBN1W21XS?rpc=401&