Brazil top court justice hands Congress more time to pass bill curtailing Indigenous rights

Guarani Mbya Indigenous people take part in a protest against the "Marco Temporal" (Temporal Milestone) bill, in Sao Paulo, Brazil June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Wednesday asked for more time to study a case pitting the country's Indigenous people against its powerful farm sector, a decision that is likely to give lawmakers more time to pass the measure favoring Big Agriculture.

The decision by Justice Andre Mendonca, an Evangelical pastor who was appointed in 2021 by far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, represents a set-back for the rights of Brazil's roughly one million Indigenous people.