Brazil's top court backs indigenous rights

Brazil's top court backs indigenous rights

Indigenous groups from the Amazon have won a major victory after Brazil's Supreme Court upheld the integrity of a vast native reserve, paving the way for the eviction of white farmers who have resisted leaving.

Dozens of bare-chested, brightly painted indigenous people celebrated on Thursday the landmark ruling by dancing and singing outside Brazil's top court, which weighed into a 30-year dispute over the rights of native groups to lands in South America's largest nation.

"This decision is a great victory for Indians and enshrines the rights of indigenous peoples," Marcio Meira, president of the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), told AFP. (...)

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