A Brazilian court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of a rancher for ordering the murder of Dorothy Stang, an American nun who fought to protect the Amazon rainforest and rights of small farmers.
A court in the state of Pará ordered Regivaldo Galvao to jail immediately. Last year a jury found Galvao of ordering the 2005 killing of Stang, who was allegedly blocking his illegal acquisition of land. Galvao was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was freed on appeal. Outrage over his freedom eventually pressured the justice system to revise how it handles the appeals process for people sentenced to long prison terms.
At the time of her death Stang was working with the Pastoral Land Commission, a Catholic Church group that lobbies for land reform in Brazil and fights for land rights for the poor. Stang’s murder became a tipping point in the heated battle between the rural poor and large landowners in the state of Pará. The federal government responded to her killing by sending several thousand armed troops into the state. Later Brazil established several protected areas in contested forests and proposed a land-use permit system for selling concession to loggers who agreed to set side land for settlers and indigenous groups.
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(04/22/2008) Peruvian authorities failed to respond to requests for protection from Julio Garcia Agapito, the environmental leader who was gunned down in southeastern Peru in late February, according to a new petition which calls for an investigation into his murder. Julio Garcia’s killing at the hands of an illegal logger set off international outcry and highlighted rising tensions over the paving of a highway in the Amazon rainforest.
Amazon environmentalist gunned down in Peru
(03/14/2008) After reporting a truck loaded with mahogany illegally logged from the Amazon rainforest, Don Julio Garcia Agapito, a Peruvian environmentalist was gunned down by unknown assailants on February 26th, 2008. He is survived by his family.
Dorothy Stang fought for social equity in the Amazon
(06/07/2007) Murder is not a pleasant place to start an article. Destruction of enormous amounts of virgin forest also does not help improve ones feelings and thoughts. Leaving out millions of people and talking about only the rights of thousands is pretty discouraging if you wish to be transparent, progressive and see a future for a beautiful country with enormous potential.
