“In the name of the Brazilian State, I want to ask forgiveness for all the suffering its people have gone through,” said Stutz and Almeida, kneeling in front of Janina Krenak, a leader of that ethnic group.
But the president of the commission stated that it was not only considering “what happened during the dictatorship” but also “the persecution that over the last 524 years […] the original peoples suffered due to the invasion that non-indigenous people made on these lands”.
The unprecedented recognition, unanimously approved, does not imply reparations for these indigenous peoples, who will now be officially “collective political amnesties”.
It includes, instead, a list of recommendations addressed to other public entities, especially in relation to the demarcation of indigenous lands, an issue that was stagnant under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) and which was resumed under the management of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, started in 2023.
“We will not repair 500 years of persecution […] but we can at least bring some kind of comfort, recognition and homage”, said the president of the commission.
According to government data, indigenous reserves occupy 13.75% of Brazil’s territory.
Tags: Commission approves Brazilian States request pardon indigenous peoples persecution
