Prática jurídica “Acesso à Justiça para povos indígenas que vivem em isolamento” concorre na categoria Advocacia
A equipe jurídica do Observatório dos Direitos Humanos dos Povos Indígenas Isolados e de Recente Contato (Opi) está entre os finalistas do prêmio Innovare, na sua vigésima edição. Equipe de advogadas formada por Carolina Santana, Patrícia Borba, Kari Guajajara e Catarina Ramos concorre na categoria Advocacia com a prática jurídica “Acesso à Justiça para povos indígenas que vivem em isolamento”.
The initiative to set up a legal strategy at Opi came from Bruno Pereira, who was murdered in June 2022 in the Javari Valley/AM together with British journalist Dom Phillips. Since Bruno created the team, the organisation has begun acting on behalf of the rights of indigenous people who are part of an extremely vulnerable minority due to their isolation.
The legal team acts by presenting cases of violation or prevention against violation of rights before the Brazilian judiciary and as petitioners in international courts. Opi and the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib) were parts in the ADPF (Claim of Non-Compliance with Fundamental Precept) case 709, which deals with the protection of indigenous territories threatened by the covid-19 pandemic, and ADPF case 991, which resulted in a decision guaranteeing the rights of all isolated groups in the country. Opi's work has brought the judiciary closer to the reality of indigenous peoples living in isolation.
"In our society, there is a stigmatised and sometimes grotesque view of these populations, a view from which the judiciary is not immune. Through our practices, we have helped to mitigate these views, presenting the judiciary with strategies for approaching the issue of individuals who do not wish to be consulted, who cannot be summoned, who do not speak Portuguese, citizens who do not want documents or access to conventional healthcare, among countless other peculiarities. What's more, we've helped legal practitioners address issues of radical otherness, of subjects of law who need protection, but who absolutely reject any contact with people outside their collective," the lawyers say of their work.
O prêmio Innovare existe há 20 anos e premia práticas jurídicas inovadoras nas categorias Tribunal, Juiz, Ministério Público, Defensoria Pública, Advocacia e Justiça e Cidadania. Na edição de 2023, 773 práticas foram deferidas para participação na premiação. As práticas escolhidas como finalistas foram dos seguintes estados: São Paulo, Amazonas, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Sul, Pará, Sergipe, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná e Distrito Federal. O resultado final será revelado em cerimônia de premiação no Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), em dezembro.
