Brasilia, Brazil – A federal judge in Brazil has suspended the construction license of the Teles Pires hydroelectric dam in the Brazilian Amazon, citing violations of the rights of the Kayabi, Apiaká and Mundurucu indigenous peoples whose livelihoods are seriously threatened by the project. Célia Regina Ody Bernardes, a federal judge in the state of Mato Grosso, ordered the immediate suspension of all activities in dam construction, "especially explosions of boulders in the region of Sete Quedas (Seven Waterfalls)" cited as an area considered sacred for the Kayabi, Mundurucu and Apiaká peoples.

With an estimated installed capacity of 1,820 MW, the dam has been under construction since August 2011 on the Teles Pires River, a major tributary of the Tapajós River in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.