NITEROI, Brazil, June 26 (Reuters) – Dom Phillips’ family bid farewell on Sunday to the British journalist, who was killed earlier this month along with Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon.
Phillips’ wife Alessandra Sampaio, siblings Sian and Gareth, and brother-in-law Paul Sherwood attended the 57-year-old’s funeral in Niteroi near Rio de Janeiro.
“Today Dom will be cremated in the country he loved, his chosen home,” Sampaio said.
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“He was a very special person not only for standing up for what he believed in as a professional, but also for having a huge heart and a great love for humanity,” she said.
Sian revealed that the couple plan to adopt two children from Brazil.
Phillips, a freelance journalist who had written for the Guardian and the Washington Post, was researching a book about the trip with Pereira, a former remote tribesman and recently contacted at the federal indigenous affairs agency Funai, when they disappeared in the remote Javari Valley on June 5.
Alessandra Sampaio, wife of British journalist Dom Phillips who was murdered in the Amazon with indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, is kissed by her family and her brothers-in-law Sian and Gareth Phillips, during the journalist’s funeral in Niteroi, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil June 26, 2022. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares
Their remains were found in a jungle grave about 10 days later after a fisherman who confessed to killing them, Amarildo da Costa, led Brazilian police there. Read more
His memorial took place two days after Pereira’s funeral, which was attended by indigenous people who paid their respects with song and dance. Read more
Outside the cemetery where Phillips’ funeral took place, people protested with signs reading “Who ordered Dom and Bruno to be killed?”
Police said earlier this month their investigation suggested more individuals were involved beyond Costa, but they likely acted alone, with no bosses behind the crime. This theory has been disputed by the indigenous group Univaja.
Phillips’ family said they will continue to monitor the investigation and seek justice.
“He was killed because he tried to tell the world what was happening to the rainforest and its people,” Sian said.
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Reporting by Sebastian Rocandio and Pilar Olivares; Written by Gabriel Araujo
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