The Brazilian Federal Regional Court has denied habeas corpus requests from defendants involved in the Brumadinho dam collapse, while a decision concerning the Mariana disaster is expected in June.
The 2nd Panel of the Federal Regional Court of the 6th Region (TRF6) convened to assess appeals related to the legal proceedings surrounding the Brumadinho and Mariana dam collapses, two of Brazil's most significant socio-environmental disasters. In the case of Brumadinho, which resulted in the tragic loss of 272 lives in 2019, the court addressed requests made by four defendants, including three engineers from Tüv Süd, a company that certified the dam's stability, and one from Vale, the mining company involved. The court rejected all habeas corpus requests, meaning that the accused will continue facing charges stemming from the catastrophic dam failure.
Regarding the 2015 Fundão dam rupture in Mariana, families of the victims and the Federal Public Ministry are challenging the acquittal of eleven defendants decided in 2024. This appeal was part of the broader scrutiny over corporate responsibility and accountability in the wake of these environmental tragedies. Although the panel finished its review during the session, the outcome will not be known until June 10, leaving victims' families in prolonged uncertainty about justice and potential remedies for their immense losses.
