Indigenous people go to the Supreme Court to request sanitary barriers against the coronavirus pandemic.

(Reuters)- Claiming a real risk of genocide, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib) and six political parties filed a lawsuit this Wednesday in the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to compel the federal government to install and maintain sanitary barriers to protect indigenous lands in the face of the advance of the new coronavirus pandemic among isolated peoples.

The organization requests the immediate operation of the "Situation Room" to support decision-making by managers and the actions of local teams in the face of contact situations, outbreaks, or epidemics involving isolated and recently contacted indigenous peoples, advocating for the participation of representatives from the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Public Defender's Office, and indigenous peoples designated by APIB.

The organization demands that the Federal Government immediately take all necessary measures to remove the invaders from six indigenous territories -- Yanomami, Karipuna, Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, Kayapó, Araribóia, Munduruku and Trincheira Bacajá -- and advocates, if necessary, the use of the Armed Forces.

In the lawsuit, APIB criticizes the federal government's actions and argues that the damage and risks of the new coronavirus pandemic for indigenous peoples are greater than for the rest of the population, maintaining that there is a "real possibility of extermination of entire ethnic groups, especially isolated groups or those of recent contact."

"The federal government's irresponsibility regarding public health—which, even after 55 deaths in the country, continues to treat the coronavirus as a 'little flu,' with indifference and scientific denialism—has combined with open institutional racism against indigenous peoples to generate a true civilizational tragedy. A genocide is underway! And indigenous lives matter!" he states.

The organization cites that, according to the National Committee for Indigenous Life and Memory of APIB (Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil), as of June 27th, the country had recorded 378 indigenous deaths, 9.166 infections, and 112 indigenous groups affected by the virus. "Based on APIB data, the Covid-19 lethality rate among indigenous peoples is 9,6%, while among the general Brazilian population it is 5,6%," it states.

The association mentions as factors aggravating the situation of indigenous people the "impunity of invaders on their lands, encouraged by "government policies and the hate speech of the President of the Republic himself," difficulties in treating Covid-19 in remote locations, and failures and omissions by state agencies in specific public policies to combat the disease, notably the Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health (Sesai), linked to the Ministry of Health, and the National Indian Foundation (Funai).

"The federal government has not been combating these invasions. On the contrary, the behavior of public authorities is one of absolute leniency, if not encouragement, as can be seen from statements by President Jair Bolsonaro," says the organization.

APIB also points out that several international bodies have been warning about the need for special protection for indigenous peoples during the pandemic, citing guidelines from the High Commissioner for Indigenous Affairs.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The case was assigned to Justice Luís Roberto Barroso to be the rapporteur.