‘Violence and Impunity:’ Report Says Mafias Driving Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon

The deforestation that has been surging in the Brazilian Amazon this year is being driven largely by criminal networks that use violence and intimidation against opponents—and the Brazilian government has done little to stop them, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

The 165-page report states that some of the recent forest fires plaguing the forest are the work of illegal loggers attempting to intimidate defenders of the forest who have spoken out against the rampant illegal logging. The Human Rights Watch documented 28 killings, as well as four attempted murders and 40 death threats, linked to criminal networks that practice illegal deforestation in Brazil’s portion of the Amazon. A majority of the incidents took place within the last five years.

“Some victims were environmental enforcement agents,” the report states. “Most were members of Indigenous communities or other forest residents who denounced illegal logging to authorities.”

The full report, “Rainforest Mafias: How Violence and Impunity Fuel Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon,” can be found here.