Military-Business Dictatorship and Mining in the Amazon: Paranapanema and Crimes Against Indigenous Peoples

In this text, we present the results of our research into the participation of the Paranapanema company in human rights violations against native peoples in the Amazon, specifically in the state of Amazonas, during the business-military dictatorship in Brazil and, in continuity, in the post-1985 period, with a focus on the Upper Rio Negro. We highlight, through sources from the National Intelligence Service (SNI), among others, the close relationship between Paranapanema, the military, and state bodies, such as the implementation of the Calha Norte project, starting in 1985, which contributed to building up business and military interests in the region. We also discuss the use of the paramilitary company Sacopã as Paranapanema’s armed arm. Finally, we address “transitional justice” as a path to justice, truth, and reparation for the crimes of the dictatorship, specifically for those who were (and are) invisibilized in recent history.

Keywords:
Amazon; Indigenous people; Paranapanema; Corporate-military dictatorship; Alto Rio Negro