Man suspect in Amazon killings of Pereira, Phillips arrested
Brazil’s Federal Police in Amazonas state, north Brazil, arrested Peruvian national Rubens Villar Coelho, suspected of having taken part in the murders of indigenous advocate Bruno Pereira and UK journalist Dom Phillips.
Known as Colômbia and also believed to be involved in drug trafficking, Coelho had already been mentioned as one as one of the alleged people involved in the crime that took place in early June. For at least a month, multiple reports from media outlets have cited the Peruvian as one of the people who ordered the killings.
The police held a press conference at 11 am (Brasília time) to provide details on Coelho’s arrest as well as other information about the progress of investigations.
Pereira and Phillips were killed in early June while traveling by boat through the Vale do Javari region. Located near the Brazilian border with Peru and Colombia, the region includes the indigenous reserve Vale do Javari, Brazil’s second largest, stretching over 8.5 million hectares. The area is also home to the largest number of uncontacted or newly contacted indigenous peoples in the world.
The two were last seen on route from the community of São Rafael to the town of Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas, where they were to meet with indigenous leaders and members of riverside communities. The bodies were not recovered until ten days later. They were buried in a densely wooded area, some three kilometers from the Itacoaí river.
A contributor to UK newspaper The Guardian, Phillips was dedicated to environmental reporting on land conflicts and the situation facing indigenous peoples and was working on a book on the Amazon. Pereira had been a member of the General Coordination of Uncontacted and Recently Contacted Indigenous People at Brazil’s national indigenous foundation FUNAI before graduating and starting to work for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari. For his efforts in defense of native communities and the preservation of the environment, he received a number of death threats.
At least eight people have been brought under investigation over their possible involvement in the double murder and the concealment of bodies. Three of the suspects are in custody: Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, known as Pelado, Jefferson da Silva Lima, and Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, known as Dos Santos.
