TRF1 court maintains Kayabi Indigenous Land demarcation process

The Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF1) has rejected a request from rural landowners to suspend the administrative demarcation process of the Kayabi Indigenous Land. The area, estimated at approximately 1.1 million hectares, is located between the states of Mato Grosso and Pará.

The court's unanimous decision allows the Federal Government and the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) to continue the delimitation process. The plaintiffs, farmers from Alta Floresta, had sought to halt the procedure initiated under a 2002 Ministry of Justice ordinance.

The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) argued against the suspension, stating that property titles, even those issued prior to the 1988 Constitution, do not override the original rights of indigenous peoples to their traditionally occupied lands. The court upheld these arguments, noting that the current process is a new demarcation intended to cover areas not included in the previously recognized 1982 territory.