‘Nowhere to hide’: After murders in Amazon, local journalists at risk

The Amazon is touted as the “lungs of the planet” and is regularly mentioned in climate debates around the world. Yet for those living in and around the vast tropical forest, the international name recognition has masked a historic pattern of invisibility, where organized crime, land conflicts, and violence are left to flourish.

This contrast was brought to light one year ago today, when British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira went missing while traveling the Itaguaí River in the Brazilian Amazon. Mr. Phillips was researching a book that was to be titled “How To Save the Amazon.” Ten days later, they were found murdered.

The case shocked the world, raising the veil on the crises of organized crime and scarce law enforcement that dominate Amazonian border