The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) expresses its solidarity with the Indigenous peoples, peasant organizations, social movements, and the Bolivian people who, at this moment, are mobilizing in defense of popular sovereignty, the commons, and the right to determine the future of their own country.
We are following with deep concern the escalation of the political and social crisis in Bolivia and, especially, the recent approval of measures that expand the state’s powers to declare states of exception and authorize the use of the Armed Forces against popular demonstrations. This measure comes amid weeks of mobilizations led by Indigenous, peasant, labor, and community organizations that challenge economic policies deemed exclusionary and denounce threats to national sovereignty.
Indigenous peoples are acutely aware of the impacts of the militarization of social conflicts. Throughout Latin America, history shows that state repression has been used, time and again, to silence the legitimate demands of peoples and communities defending their territories, their ways of life, and their collective rights. The response to political crises cannot be the criminalization of popular organization or the use of force against those exercising their right to mobilize.
Bolivia holds a unique place in the history of the continent’s Indigenous peoples. The recognition of its plurinational character was the result of decades of struggle by Indigenous peoples, peasants, and popular movements who demanded the right to self-determination, political participation, and democratic control over the country’s natural resources and future. Defending these achievements is defending democracy itself.
APIB reaffirms that the sovereignty of states must go hand in hand with the sovereignty of peoples. There is no true democracy without popular participation, without respect for collective rights, and without the recognition of Indigenous peoples as political actors capable of deciding on their territories, their economies, and their futures.
We also reaffirm that the defense of national sovereignty is directly linked to the protection of territories and the commons. Land, water, forests, diverse biomes, and natural resources cannot be reduced to commodities subject exclusively to the interests of large economic groups or external actors. They are living heritage that sustains peoples, cultures, and diverse ways of life.
At this moment, we reinforce our support, in particular, for the Bolivian Indigenous peoples who continue to lead the mobilizations in defense of their rights, their territories, and the plurinational character of the Bolivian State. We recognize the long history of struggle and resistance of the peoples of Bolivia and reaffirm our conviction that no national project will be legitimate if it is built at the cost of repression, political exclusion, or violence against its peoples.
APIB calls on the international community, human rights organizations, and social movements in Latin America to closely monitor the situation in Bolivia, demanding respect for human rights, democratic freedoms, and the right of peoples to mobilize freely.
Our solidarity with the Indigenous peoples and the Bolivian people.
Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB)
June 9, 2026.