Amazon indigenous chief dies of coronavirus

Paulinho Paiakan, one of the best-known indigenous defenders of the Amazon rainforest, has died of coronavirus or COVID-19 infection in Brazil, according to a BBC report published on Thursday (June 18).

Paiakan, also the chief of the Kayapó people, came to international attention in the 1980s in the fight against Belo Monte, one of the world's largest dams.

In 1998, the 65-year old was convicted in a case filed for raping an 18-year-old. His wife was also convicted for her complicity in the rape. But his allies argued the claim was fabricated to tarnish Paiakan's reputation and to silence him.

Reacting to his death on Wednesday (June 17) at a hospital in Pará, the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples' Association (Apib) described Paiakan as a "father, leader and warrior" for indigenous peoples and the environment.

Gert-Peter Bruch, founder of environmental group Planet Amazon, said, "He worked all his life to build worldwide alliances around indigenous peoples to save the Amazon. He was far ahead of his time. We've lost an extremely valuable guide."

COVID-19 has hit Brazil's vulnerable indigenous communities hard.

The country is among the world's worst affected, and the outbreak is believed to be weeks away from its peak. Brazil has the second-highest numbers of infections - over 955,000 - and deaths, more than 46,500, after the US.

It is to be mentioned that more than 280 indigenous peoples have so far infected with coronavirus in the Amazon rainforest.


Dhaka/AI