Tacuru City Hall informed the Federal Public Ministry in Mato Grosso do Sul (MPF/MS) that it had initiated a Disciplinary Administrative Process (PAD) and precautionarily removed, for 20 days, the employees involved in the poisoning threats against indigenous people in the region. The measure meets a recommendation from the MPF.
The information was passed on to g1 by the agency this Tuesday (3).
According to the MPF, the city hall also clarified that "the public services intended for the Sassoró and Jaguapiré Villages — including support for the water supply, when necessary, and the collection of waste from the school and health center — continue to be carried out regularly by other employees, without any harm to their continuity."
Regarding the concerns reported by residents in relation to the water consumed in the villages, the municipal administration stated that it was available to collaborate with measures to verify and monitor water quality, in conjunction with the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai), the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (Sesai), the Special Indigenous Health Districts (Dseis) and health surveillance bodies.
On Wednesday (28), the MPF had set a deadline of 48 hours for the city hall to comment on the threats.
MPF investigates reports of political violence and information about attacks
Public Prosecutor Marco Antonio Delfino de Almeida also opened an investigation into alleged homicides that were allegedly motivated by political conflicts in Naviraí, in the south of Mato Grosso do Sul. However, leaders of the Kurupi and Mboreviry indigenous communities denied the occurrence of attacks against their members.
In response to requests for information, the 4th Public Prosecutor's Office of Naviraí and the City Hall clarified that the case registered in the city was an attempted double homicide resulting from a family disagreement, without political or ethnic motivation.
Authorities also reported that photographs related to the crime circulated on the internet in an adulterated and out-of-context form, being falsely associated with an alleged attack against indigenous people.
Analysis of official documents and consultations with the MPF's internal system (RADAR/SPPA) indicated that the two victims, identified as Junho Alves Fernandes and Renan Willian de Souza Vieira, have no history of belonging to indigenous people. The same information was verified in relation to family members.
To complement the investigation, the MPF/MS sent a letter to the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (Sesai), requesting the verification of the organization's assistance records.
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Audio with threats
The audio containing the threats refers to the water consumed by the indigenous people of Aldeia Sassoró, in Tacuru, and was recorded by a city hall employee. According to Mayor Rogério Torquetti, the employee was removed after the repercussions of the case and is the target of a Disciplinary Administrative Process (PAD).
The name of the server was not disclosed.
The complaint about the alleged statement by a city hall employee, made after the re-election of President Lula (PT), was presented by indigenous leaders on Tuesday (27). The case also led the federal government to call the Federal Police (PF) to investigate the threats.
After the repercussions, the mayor of Tacuru asked the community to forgive the comment attributed to the server.
Federal government activates Federal Police
The federal government activated the Federal Police to investigate reports of threats and racist demonstrations against indigenous peoples of Mato Grosso do Sul after the second round of the 2026 presidential elections.
Among the reports are reports of deaths, pedestrian collisions and threats in other municipalities in the state. The State Department of Justice and Public Security of Mato Grosso do Sul (Sejusp-MS) and the Federal Police have not confirmed deaths related to political violence.
The complaints gained repercussion after publications on social media made by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB). The entity contacted the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI), which forwarded a complaint about Tacuru's case to the PF and requested the investigation of the facts.
The Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Eloy Terena, stated that the federal government is mapping reports of threats and violence against indigenous communities, quilombolas and terreiro peoples in Mato Grosso do Sul and other regions of the country.
According to the minister, the ministries of Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Racial Equality formed a task force to prioritize the investigation of cases.
"I became aware of this very serious fact yesterday and yesterday our team made contact, qualified the information and yesterday I contacted the Federal Police", said the minister to g1.
