Indigenous rights advocates spoke out on Thursday against Russia's decision to ban an indigenous rights group from operating in the country.
The ban showed the "open pressure on the organization and its leadership" by the Russian government, said the Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North (CSIPN) — the group the Russian government banned from operating on Wednesday.
CSIPN added that the Russian government had "thrown far back the faith of the indigenous peoples of the North in access to fair justice."
Russian courts dissolved the group, claiming it had broken laws on non-governmental organizations (NGO) operating in the country.
The closure came after Russia shut down another NGO, For Human Rights, earlier in the week.
Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for the EU on foreign affairs, on Thursday called the decisions "worrying."
The Russian Justice Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment, according to Reuters news agency.
Indigenous group branded a 'foreign agent'
Laws governing NGOs, classified as "foreign agents" in Russia are strict and the government can shut down any group that does not comply with them.
Foreign agents must regularly produce financial reports about their political activities, funding, and plans.
The indigenous rights group was designated as a foreign agent in 2015, but the label was removed after it stopped taking money from abroad.
Read more: Gay parents flee Russia with kids: 'The authorities could take the children away'
Who are Russia's indigenous peoples?
According to the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON), there are 41 recognized indigenous groups living in the sprawling federation.
These amount to 270,000 people living in 60% of the whole territory of the Russian Federation from Murmansk, near Finland, to Kamchatka.
These include the reindeer-herding Izvatas and Khanty, who live on Russia's tundra, and the Kumandins who live in the Altai region of Russia.
Settlements where Russian indigenous people live often experience high unemployment and other social problems such as alcoholism, according to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs.
Read more: Brazil: Illegal loggers kill indigenous man during Amazon attack
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
Along the banks
The Munduruku people live mainly in forest regions and riverbanks, in villages spread along the Tapajos River in the Brazilian states of Para, Amazonas and Mato Grosso. With an estimated population of 12,000 to 15,000 people, the Munduruku are the most numerous indigenous group along the free-flowing Tapajos River.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
The forest
The dwellers of the Sawre Muybu Indigenous Land have sought for at least three centuries to officially demarcate their territory. The 178,000-hectare area includes rainforest that is threatened by illegal loggers and mining — and more recently, by the construction of reservoirs for hydropower.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
The 'chief'
Munduruku people live largely as they have for centuries. Villages are represented by women known as "cacicas." Maria Aniceia Akay Munduruku, from the upper Tapajos, has taken part in her people's movement against the construction of hydropower dams, including by demarcating indigenous land. She doesn't speak Portuguese: Her husband helps her to communicate with others outside the village.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
The essence of life
The Tapajos River is the essence of life for the indigenous Munduruku people. They depend on its water for sustenance, and to get around. The waters teem with vitality — there are 324 identified species of fish living in the waters, beside Amazonian manatees and giant otters.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
Rich biodiversity
Along the river also live hundreds of species of birds, lizards and amphibians. Tapirs and giant anteaters ply the riverbanks, while jaguars and ocelot also prowl the rainforest and savannah. The region is among the world's most important for rare land and water species.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
The students
Munduruku children attend the village school, under the guidance of indigenous teachers. In this picture, girls play in the shared classroom at Sawre Muybu village during their holiday break. Animals such as monkeys, parrots, dogs and capybaras are welcome among the children.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
Living off the land
Manioc flour is the staple food in Munduruku villages — cassava planted on the family farm is crushed, shredded and then roasted in a wood-burning stove. Also sweet potatoes, yams and bananas are grown. Although Munduruku consume mainly food grown in the local fields, items such as sugar, salt and coffee have also made their way into the traditional diet. They are purchased in town once a month.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
The threat
An aerial view shows the Teles Pires dam, on the homonymous tributary to the Tapajos. The lighter green color indicates the area of forest that was submerged — critics point out that rotting vegetation from inundated forest produces considerable quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. The specter of ongoing drought also casts doubt on future usability of such hydropower stations.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
International partners
This aerial image shows construction at the Sao Manoel hydropower dam, which is supposed to begin operation by January 2018. Partially funded by Chinese companies, the cost of the project is estimated to reach €600 million euros. The plant, located on the Teles Pires River, will have the capacity to generate 700 megawatts of electricity.
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Threatened lifeline: The Tapajos River
The consequences
If built, the Sao Luiz do Tapajos dam would inundate this stretch of the river — including its shallows, rapids, beaches, waterfalls, inlets and shores. Once full, it would create a reservoir the size of New York City. Planned dams could flood up to 7 percent of indigenous territory, resulting in loss of land, poorer water quality and less fish — deeply affecting Mundukuru livelihood.
Author: Nádia Pontes, Pará, Brazil
Reuters contributed to this report
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