A controversial law restricting the rights of indigenous peoples and paving the way for deforestation has come into force in Brazil
Kyiv • UNN
A new law in Brazil limits indigenous land claims to territories occupied before October 1988. The opposition argues that this law means a victory for agribusiness and will be the beginning of large-scale deforestation.
In Brazil, a new law has come into effect that restricts the land claims of indigenous peoples and introduces the so-called "marco temporal". It stipulates that indigenous peoples can only claim the land they physically occupied as of October 1988, when the current Constitution was promulgated. This was reported by UNN with reference to The Guardian.
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Critics say that the law does not take into account the fact that many indigenous groups were expelled from their ancestral lands before this date, especially during Brazil's military dictatorship from 1964-1985. It also invalidates many legitimate claims to demarcation of indigenous lands.
The Brazilian Supreme Court confirmed such claims when it ruled in September by 9 votes to 2 that the time stamp thesis was unconstitutional. But less than a week later, Congress voted to enshrine this provision in law.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva vetoed several parts of the bill, but in early December, the conservative-dominated Congress overrode his veto.
The final version of the law has already been published in the official gazette.
This is an attack on indigenous peoples and the environment. The law will have a negative impact on forest conservation, climate change and the future of future generations
Many experts also believe that the introduction of the new law means a victory for an influential agribusiness group in Congress. It is believed that the new law opens the door to activities such as road construction, mining, dam construction, and agricultural projects on indigenous lands, protected areas that serve as important protection for forests from deforestation.
Indigenous organizations and leftist political parties have said they are preparing to challenge the law in the Supreme Court.
