São Paulo (AP) – Brazilian prosecutors filed criminal charges Thursday against a man accused of ordering the 2022 killing of indigenous people advocate Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips.
Colombian fish businessman Ruben Dario Villar was formally charged by Brazilian police in November as the person who planned to kill.
Phillips and Pereira happened to be three years ago, June 5, 2022.
“How to Save Amazon” is scheduled to be published in the United States on June 10. The book was pieced together by journalists, who were immersed in Phillips’ notes, an overview and several chapters he had written.
“Bruno and Don were beaten and murdered for despicable, ill-justified reasons, with no defensive opportunity,” federal prosecutors said in a statement Thursday.
According to police investigations, Veral conducted illegal fishing operations in indigenous areas of the Java Valley, where thousands of indigenous people live, including the world's largest contactless group. Police say the murder was motivated by Pereira's efforts to monitor and enforce environmental laws in the region.
He has been in jail since 2022 and has denied any misconduct. The Associated Press was unable to access his legal representative for comment.
