Climate Counsel, Greenpeace & Observatório di Clima, Crimes Against Humanity in Brazil: 2011 to the Present (Nov. 2022)

This communication alleges that a coordinated network of politicians, civil servants, law enforcement, business leaders, and criminal organizations has perpetrated widespread and systematic attacks against rural land users and environmental defenders in the Brazilian Amazon. These actions, including murder, torture, forced evictions, and persecution, are argued to constitute crimes against humanity. The document details over 12,000 land and water-related conflicts over the past decade, with more than 400 murders and 100,000 expulsions or evictions documented. It emphasizes that these crimes are not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate policy to facilitate aggressive economic exploitation—such as illegal logging, mining, and agribusiness—often at the expense of Indigenous communities. As deforestation in the Amazon significantly contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions, the authors urge the OTP to open a preliminary examination into these crimes, asserting that addressing them is crucial not only for justice in Brazil but also for the global fight against climate change.