Brazil photographer Salgado blames government actions for Amazon crimes

Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado listens to speeches during the World Conservation Congress (WCC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) held in Marseille, France September 3, 2021. Guillaume Horcajuelo/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian government actions such as removing protections for indigenous territories and not doing enough to stem violent crime in the Amazon created the conditions that led to the recent murders of a journalist and indigenous expert, photographer Sebastiao Salgado said.

The 78-year-old photographer, best known for his stunning landscapes, was in Rio de Janeiro to open his new exhibit "Amazônia." He spent seven years living among 12 indigenous communities in the rainforest to take the photos.