On 24 May, 10 rural workers who were camping in the margins of Santa Lucia farm in Pau D’Arco, Pará state, were shot dead during a joint operation between military and civil police officers. On 7 July, one of the leaders of the group of rural workers, Rosenildo Pereira de Almeida, was shot dead. Survivors of the massacre continued to fear for their lives following the killings. In September a group of armed mine workers threatened smallholders in the rural settlement of Montanha e Mangabal, in the Tapajós river region, municipality of Itaituba, Pará state. society organizations and governmental technical bodies working for Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Budget cuts to FUNAI impacted negatively on its work for the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Indigenous people from Vale do Javari, Amazonas state, reported that members of isolated Indigenous groups in the area were killed during the year. The killings were not investigated. Demarcated Indigenous land in Vale do Javari was subjected to invasions by miners. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS According to Bahia Gay Group, 277 LGBTI people were killed in Brazil between 1 January and 20 September, the highest number since the group began compiling data in 1980. On 15 February, transgender woman Dandara dos Santos was beaten to death in Bom Jardim neighbourhood in Fortaleza city. According to investigators, at least 12 people were involved in her killing. Two men were arrested in connection with her killing during the year. In September, a Federal District judge authorized psychologists to use unethical and harmful so-called “conversion therapies” in an attempt to alter individuals’ sexual orientation. The decision flouted a resolution of the Federal Psychology Council confirming that psychologists cannot take any action that would “pathologize homosexuality”. The judge’s decision contributed to increasing stigma and violence against LGBTI people. A number of proposals at city, state and national level sought to prohibit gender and sexual orientation-related issues from being included in educational materials. Conflicts over land and invasion by illegal loggers and mine workers into Indigenous Peoples’ territory continued, resulting in several episodes of violence against Indigenous people. The government and courts undermined the institutional framework and national policies, introducing further delays in the already slow land demarcation process, aggravating conflicts over land in Indigenous territories. Data published by the Indigenous Missionary Council during the year revealed that at least 118 Indigenous people were killed in 2016. In January, the Ministry of Justice issued a decree changing the land demarcation process, making it even slower and more vulnerable to pressure from landlords. In April, at least 22 Indigenous Gamela people were attacked by gunmen in Viana, Maranhão state; some were shot at, others beaten, and two had their hands cut off. The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the National Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI) and the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform, two independent institutions set up by the government to protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and promote access to land, presented its final report, which was approved by the House of Representatives in May. The report was a clear attack on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and had a direct intent to criminalize (including by requesting criminal indictment of dozens of people) Indigenous leaders, civil Amnesty International Report 2017/18 RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF Throughout the year, religious centres (terreiros) of the Afro-descendant religions Umbanda and Candomblé in Rio de Janeiro state suffered several attacks by private individuals, criminal gangs and members of other religions. In August and September, at least eight centres were attacked and 101