Overview
- An early-morning assault on November 16 at the Pyelito Kue occupation in Iguatemi, MS, killed indigenous leader Vicente Fernandes Vilhalva, 36, and left at least four others injured.
- Witnesses and indigenous groups report that roughly 20 heavily armed men opened fire on the community and tried to remove the victim’s body before being stopped.
- Federal Police collected cartridges and biological traces at the scene and seized two 12-gauge shotguns used by private farm security for forensic analysis.
- Two suspects have been identified and one was arrested in flagrante after recognition by an injured survivor, while the PF has not released the suspects’ identities.
- A federal judge in Naviraí issued an urgent injunction banning forced removal of the community with a R$1 million fine for unauthorized police eviction, as federal agencies and the Força Nacional maintain a security presence and indigenous leaders demand justice, including at a march in Belém; a reported death of a security guard remains under investigation.