Associated Press, 01/13/2009
A new report says suicides among Brazil’s Indian population is on the rise. But murders of Indians have dropped. The Catholic Church-backed Indian Missionary Council says in a Tuesday report that suicides among Indians in the Amazonian state of Mato Grosso jumped 50 percent in 2008 compared to 2007.
At least 34 Indians there committed suicide last year. The report blames worsening living conditions. In the same state, at least 40 Indians were murdered and another 13 were murdered elsewhere. Most of the killings came during land disputes. Farmers and ranchers increasingly invade reservations, looking to clear land for crops and grazing. This often results in violent confrontations. In 2007, some 92 Indians were murdered. [End of article, read original]
Filed under: Nation, Politics and Government | Tagged: brazil indigenous
