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. Skip related content
Related photos / videos A Makunaimi tribe member attends a session at the Supreme Federal Court on March 18 in …More Enlarge photo A Makunaimi tribe member attends a session at the Supreme Federal Court on March 18 in …More Enlarge photo Amazonian indigenous groups have won a major legal victory after a decision at Brazil's …More Enlarge photo 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.

In a 10-1 vote, the tribunal's judges reaffirmed the borders of the Raposa Serra do Sol reserve and ordered the rice farmers' expulsion.
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