The government of Brazil made an apology this Thursday (11) for the defamatory and hateful speeches made against journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous man Bruno Pereira in the context of their disappearance and murder, in 2022.  The retraction was presented by the minister of the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic (Secom/PR), Sidônio Palmeira, on behalf of the Brazilian State, to the families of the two defenders of indigenous rights during the awarding of the Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira Journalism and Communication Competition.  Related news: Radioagência takes 3rd place in the Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira award. The apology is part of the commitment made by Brazil to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, of the Organization of American States (OAS). "Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira carried out fundamental work in Vale do Javari. The government of Brazil works to honor this effort - by combating organized crime in the Amazon and by protecting human rights defenders, communicators and environmentalists. Therefore, we have the tranquility and legitimacy to apologize for the defamatory and hateful speeches that were made against them both in the context of their disappearance and death in 2022", said the minister.  The minister highlighted that Bruno and Dom "are examples of work for the Brazilian people, of confronting privileges, inequalities and organized crime, its ramifications in institutions and links with the powerful". "No one on this agenda will have a peaceful life. And there are people willing to put their lives at risk to prevent the illegal exploitation of the country. Our role is to honor these people and work for the sustainability, dignity, justice and shared prosperity of the people of Brazil, in its diversity", he stated. Understand Bruno and Dom were killed on June 5, 2022, victims of an ambush, while traveling by boat through the Vale do Javari region, in Amazonas, a region that is home to the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land, the second largest in the country, with more than 8.5 million hectares. The duo was last seen while traveling from the São Rafael community to the city of Atalaia do Norte (AM), where they would meet with indigenous leaders and riverside communities. Their bodies were recovered ten days later. They were buried in a dense forest area, about 3 kilometers from the Itacoaí River channel. A contributor to the British newspaper The Guardian, Dom dedicated himself to environmental journalistic coverage – including land conflicts and the situation of indigenous peoples – and was preparing a book about the Amazon. Bruno Pereira had already held the General Coordination of Isolated and Newly Contacted Indians at the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai) before taking leave from the organization, without pay, and starting to work for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja). Due to his work in defense of indigenous communities and the preservation of the environment, he received several death threats. According to the Public Ministry's complaint, Bruno and Dom were killed for going against the interests of illegal fishing in the region, by promoting environmental education in indigenous communities.  In July last year, the Federal Court in Amazonas accepted the complaint from the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) and made Rubén Dario Villar, known as Colombia, a defendant, identified as the mastermind of the deaths and suspected of leading an illegal fishing gang operating in Vale do Javari. Competition  The podcast Crianças Sabidas – Série Trilhinhas Amazônicas, from Radioagência Nacional, came in third place in the category of Media education initiative involving the protection of the environment, indigenous peoples or traditional communities, of the Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira Competition for Journalism and Communication in Defense of the Environment and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities. The photojournalist from Agência Brasil, Tânia Rêgo, received an honorable mention for the set of images in the report Areas of Guarani recovery in MS face difficulties and violence, published in September 2024.