Congress overturns Lula’s veto that protected indigenous lands

2023-12-15 04:08:29

Congress reinstated key articles of a project that limits the rights of indigenous people over their ancestral lands, by overturning President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s veto this Thursday (14).

With the majority of votes from 321 deputies and 53 senators, the predominantly conservative parliament rejected the Executive’s objections to the “time frame” thesis, the core of a law that regulates the demarcation of indigenous lands approved in September.

A declared defender of indigenous causes, Lula vetoed some sections of the text in October, including the time frame.

Supported by agribusiness, the thesis only recognizes the right of indigenous people, who represent 1.7 million of the country’s 203 million inhabitants, to claim the territories they occupied in 1988, when the Constitution was promulgated.

However, it is rejected by indigenous communities on the grounds that many indigenous peoples were expelled throughout history from their ancestral territories, especially during the military dictatorship (1964-1985).

The Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, lamented the decision in a video posted on her social networks: “it is absurd that while the world already recognizes indigenous peoples and their territories as one of the last alternatives to contain the climate crisis, the National Congress acts completely contrary to what needs to be done to contain this global crisis”.

Scientists consider indigenous reserves to be important barriers against deforestation and fundamental in the fight against global warming.

The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples appealed to the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) to file a lawsuit with the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and reaffirm the “unconstitutionality” of the time frame. The highest court had already declared the thesis unconstitutional in September.

The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib) also appealed to the STF, a source from the organization told AFP.

“The time frame rewards the thief of indigenous lands”, criticized indigenous deputy Celia Xakriaba during today’s session.

“Another setback overturned. We guarantee legal security for Brazilian agriculture”, celebrated on X, formerly Twitter, senator Ciro Nogueira, former chief minister of the Civil House of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

According to data from Funai, reserves occupy 13.75% of the country’s territory.

Since assuming his third term in January, Lula has ordered the demarcation of eight new reserves, unlike Bolsonaro, who fulfilled his promise not to ratify any “centimeter” of land during his term.