Ditadura militar, povos indígenas e denúncias internacionais: das visitas in loco à campanha transnacional pelo Parque Yanomami

Abstract

The present research aims to comprehend the performance of the transnational advocacy networks in applying pressure on the Brazilian Federal State in favor of the demarcation of the Yanomami indigenous park during the military dictatorship period (1964-1985). The dynamics and interactions amidst the actors involved will be analyzed based on the theoretical frameworks of the boomerang pattern (KECK; SIKKINK, 1998) and the spiral model (SIKKINK; RISSE, 1999). Thus, the analysis seeks to discuss the strategies and institutional tools utilized by pro-indigenous agents when reporting the situation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). In that context, facing the military policies of development that proposed the economic exploitation of the Amazon and the forced assimilation of indigenous peoples, the transnational activism campaign in favor of the Yanomami recognized the new windows of opportunity for political action that emerged with the development of international legal instruments, particularly in the 1970s. Transnational networking efforts, which led to the demarcation of the Yanomami territory only in 1992, point to the global civil society as a potential path for democratization in the face of authoritarian governments. However, the study of the Yanomami case also raises questions about the effectiveness of human rights protection mechanisms that should act more urgently in response to urgent cases.