26 October 2011 | News | Human rights | Social activists at risk
The Killings Must Stop
Brazil: Murder of another peasant leader in Para
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Brazilian leader Joao Chupel Primo was 55 years old. He was murdered on Saturday from a shot in his head in a car workshop, where he worked.
The Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) claims that this is the eighth murder of a social activist in the State of Para since May of this year.
The State Attorney’s office asked the Federal Police on Monday to take special action to protect another two local leaders who, together with Chupel Primo, had denounced local landowners for illegal extraction of wood in the region.
The murdered trade unionist was one of the main leaders of the Miritituba community. He had denounced several times that he received frequent death threats.
The CPT says the warnings had been reported to the police, who ignored them instead of avoiding this tragedy, which remains unpunished as many others.
The CPT also published a letter of the bishop of Itaituba, Dom Frei Wilmar Santin, written on Monday 24. The letter blames Dilma Roussef’s administration for the crimes in Para, as well as the Brazilian Environment Institute (Ibama) and the Federal Police.
“From 2005 until now over 20 people were killed only in this region of Para”, says the bishop in his letter.
