NNA News - Brazil's Indigenous movement has renewed its call for the establishment of a National Indigenous Truth Commission by presidential decree, arguing that the body is needed to investigate historical violations against Indigenous peoples and advance reparations. The demand was made during a leadership meeting of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) held in Brasília from 21 to 23 July. Report by Brazil 247.

According to APIB, the proposed commission would revive a recommendation contained in an annex to the 2014 final report of Brazil's National Truth Commission, which called for a dedicated body to investigate abuses committed against Indigenous communities. The report estimated that at least 8,350 Indigenous people died during Brazil's military dictatorship, although the recommendation has not been implemented.

APIB leaders said a draft presidential decree has received favourable legal opinions from jurist Daniel Sarmento, Brazil's Public Defender's Office (DPU) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, as well as support from 58 institutions. The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples in 2025 but did not advance after the government opted to pursue legislation through Congress.

APIB political coordinator Paulino Montejo said the commission should be created by presidential decree and linked directly to the Presidency's General Secretariat. "Shouldn't the federal government establish a legal mechanism to provide reparations to Indigenous peoples? Does it really have to go through the courts?" Montejo said.

He also criticised the absence of senior government officials from the discussions and said the organisation had sought support from international institutions, including the United Nations. Participants at the meeting presented research documenting alleged historical violations committed by the former Indian Protection Service (SPI) and during Brazil's military dictatorship.

The case studies included allegations of torture, forced displacement, killings, structural racism and environmental damage affecting Indigenous communities in Paraná, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Bahia. Researchers said the investigations were conducted using what they described as an ancestral listening methodology developed through training involving Indigenous researchers and community representatives.

The gathering also revisited testimonies from Indigenous leaders who described alleged killings, forced labour, sexual violence, imprisonment and cultural persecution, while arguing that violence linked to land disputes continues in parts of Brazil. The meeting marked the launch of the book Indigenous Peoples and Transitional Justice: Records of Memories that Denounce Violence, which compiles seven years of research into alleged abuses across eight Indigenous territories.

Organisers also presented a documentary on the ancestral listening methodology and announced plans to return a digital archive containing three million documents to Indigenous communities. Participants approved plans to hold an International Seminar on Indigenous Rights and Justice in 2027. They endorsed the continuation of an interactive map documenting more than 90 reported cases of violence against Indigenous peoples.

The meeting concluded with renewed calls for the Brazilian government to establish the proposed National Indigenous Truth Commission through a presidential decree.