Brazil charges 3 suspects in murder of British journalist, activist

By Bala Chambers

LONDON (AA) - Authorities in Brazil charged three people on Thursday for the murder of British Journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous activist Bruno Pereira in the western Amazon in June.

Prosecutors put forward their charges, with Amarildo da Costa Oliveira and Jefferson da Silva Lima having already confessed to their involvement in the crime.

Meanwhile, witness testimony and copies of messages from apps that the "defendants sent to each other" suggest Oseney da Costa de Oliveira allegedly took part as well, according to Brazilian daily newspaper, Correio Braziliense.

All three men stand accused of double aggravated homicide and concealment of the bodies, according to news source Brasil 247 and they are from an area known for illegal fishing and poaching.

Their motive, according to a statement, was that Pereira asked Philips to photograph them when they passed in their boat.

Philips, a frequent contributor to the British Guardian newspaper and, Pereira had met with indigenous communities close to the entrance of the Javari Valley, Indigenous Reserve close to Peru and Colombia, and were on the Itaquai River heading to the city of Atalaia do Norte when they came under attack.

Their disappearance sparked international condemnation and calls for authorities to act.

Eventually with help of indigenous communities, Brazilian authorities located the two men's bodies deep within the rainforest.

Prior to the murder, Pereira had a number of run-ins with different people in the area, receiving several death threats and reportedly carried a gun with him. Pereira had left FUNAI, the federal indigenous affairs agency, to assist local indigenous communities wishing to safeguard their territories from invaders, gathering various evidence of criminal activity in the zone.

Pereira was taking evidence to authorities in Atalaia do Norte at the time when he was shot three times and murdered.

Philips, who was undertaking research for his book "How to Save the Amazon," was killed alongside Pereira, according to the prosecutor's statement.