The Brazilian parliament has approved by a large majority the decision to override the veto placed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on a law that limits the protection of lands belonging to indigenous populations. The law supports the “time limit” principle, an argument that Brazilian indigenous peoples cannot claim exclusive rights to land they did not physically occupy, or over which there was no ongoing legal dispute, before 1988, when it came into force. the Constitution of Brazil.
The Supreme Court in September he had established that the principle was unconstitutional, but a week later the Senate, controlled by conservatives, had approved a law that among other things proposed the same measure. At that point Lula intervened to veto the part of the text relating to the principle of the “time limit”. The matter will now likely be examined by the Supreme Court.
Since taking office in January 2023, Lula has resumed efforts to protect Brazil’s indigenous lands: among other things, his government is the first to have a ministry of indigenous peoples, led by activist Sônia Guajajara.
– Read also: What a story Lula has