Between 24 April and 4 May, historic floods devastated southern Brazil, particularly affecting Rio Grande do Sul. This catastrophe, intensified by climate change and the El Niño phenomenon, left over 90 per cent of the state underwater, displaced more than 580,000 people, and caused 172 deaths, with dozens still missing. The floods overwhelmed infrastructure, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity or water and disrupting essential services. A team of researchers from various countries concluded that human-caused climate change made the intense rainfall event twice as likely and 6-9 per cent more severe. Additionally, the federal and local governments’ poor disaster preparedness and inadequate maintenance of flood protection infrastructure exacerbated the impact. Despite early warnings from the National Meteorologist Institute (Inmet), communication failures and insufficient investment in flood defences contributed to the disaster's severity, which affected heavily marginalised sectors such as Indigenous and Quilombo communities. 

Sources: North American Congress on Latin America, El Pais, World Weather Attribution, Midia Ninja, Globo

The Brazilian government issued its first apology for torturing and persecuting Indigenous Peoples during the 1964-85 military dictatorship. The apology was made by an amnesty commission attached to the human rights ministry, tasked with investigating crimes committed by the regime as the country marks the 60th anniversary of the coup. Additionally, the amnesty commission has begun, for the first time in its history, to analyze collective restitution demands by Indigenous communities. This marks a significant shift from its traditional practice of only accepting individual claims. The apology focused on two specific cases: the Krenak and Guarani-Kaiowá peoples, who were incarcerated in a reformatory camp, forbidden to speak their languages, and subjected to forced labor and physical abuse. Indigenous leaders hope the apology leads to reparations, including land restitution. Many more cases are expected to be examined, particularly in the Amazon, where the dictatorship's infrastructure projects devastated Indigenous lands and people.

 Source: The Guardian, El Pais, Globo

On 8 February, federal police arrested four people and executed 33 search warrants, targeting allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The operation was authorized by Brazil’s Supreme Court as part of an inquiry into the 8 January storming of government buildings. Bolsonaro himself was requested to hand over his passport during the inquiry. So far, the investigation into 8 January had only resulted in the trial and conviction of citizens who broke into government buildings, but the current investigation targets Bolsonaro and close allies as organizers of the “attempted coup”. 

Weeks later, on 25 February, Bolsonaro participated in a public act in which he denied the accusations against him, with tens of thousands of protesters showing up to express their support. 

Sources: Brazil Federal Police, The Guardian, British Broadcasting Corporation

Congress approved legislation that enshrines the “marco temporal” thesis, a controversial doctrine that restricts the claims that Indigenous Peoples can make to their lands, if these were not physically occupied by them in 1988. In doing so, it overrode a presidential veto by a wide majority. In September, Brazil’s Supreme Court had sided with the Indigenous Xokleng community in a case brought by Santa Catarina state, determining that the “marco temporal” thesis had no basis in the constitution. Activists worry that the entry into force of the law will make Indigenous territories susceptible to extractive activities and infrastructure works that will imperil the sustainability of their resources. They have further announced their intention to challenge the constitutionality of the law before the Supreme Court, expressing hope that the high court will maintain its previous precedent.

Sources: Deutche Welle, The Guardian, International IDEA