The group Survival International said that an alleged massacre in July in Venezuela of members of the Yanomami tribe at the hands of illegal gold miners did not take place.
“Having received its own testimony from confidential sources, Survival now believes there was no attack by miners on the Yanomami community of Irotatheri,” the group said in a statement Tuesday.
It was reported last month that the Irotatheri community was allegedly massacred in a remote Venezuelan jungle by miners.
Yanomami groups told Survival International that three people survived the massacre, but the group said that the information was not correct.
“We currently do not know whether or not these stories were sparked by a violent incident, which is the most likely explanation, but tension remains high in the area,” the group added.
After an investigation, Venezuelan officials said there were no bodies or evidence of an attack.
“The Venezuelan government’s reaction remains shameful,” Survival said. “It has not said, even now, that it will remove the miners, and it immediately denied having found ‘evidence’ of killings, before even concluding its own investigation. Its supporters have gone further and accused its critics of being part of a right-wing conspiracy.”
Survival called on the Venezuelan government to carry out an investigation and evict illegal gold miners in the region and in other regions inhabited by indigenous people.
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