BRAZIL'S TOP COURT FAVORS INDIGENOUS GROUPS IN LAND DISPUTE

Aug 16, 8:56 PM EDT
BY LILIANA MICHELENA
ASSOCIATED PRESS

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Brazil's top court ruled Wednesday against a state that sought federal compensation for lands used to create three indigenous reserves, delivering a landmark decision seen as a defeat for groups trying to limit native land claims.

Mato Grosso, a large Brazilian state on the border with Bolivia, had argued the reserves were created in the 1960s on state lands. In an 8-0 decision, the Supreme Federal Tribunal disagreed, saying the land was owned by the federal government and it had the right to hand over the territory to the indigenous communities.

Sonia Guajajara, an indigenous leader from the northern state of Maranhao, called the ruling a "great conquest in a time when rights are being rolled back."

Her comment alluded to claims by indigenous communities that their way of life has increasingly come under fire during the administration of President Michel Temer.

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