“Words cannot express our sorrow at the loss of Sister Dorothy,”
said John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace in the
United States. “I send our deepest condolences to her family,
friends and members of her order. And I promise that we will not
let her death be in vain.”
In a letter sent to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da
Silva yesterday, Passacantando and the executive directors of
Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Brazil called on the
Brazilian government and Pará authorities to bring the killers to
justice and put an end to the lawlessness that rules the remote
areas of the Amazon.
“We cannot accept more martyrs in the Amazon,” read the letter.
“We trust that the Brazilian government will assume full
responsibility for bringing justice to this crime and will
implement concrete measures to end the causes of this violence and
guarantee a sustainable future for the Amazon forest and its
inhabitants.”
Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Sister Dorothy had worked in the
Amazon for the past 37 years, living in Anapú since 1972. She was
an outspoken critic of land grabbers and illegal loggers who use
intimidation and violence to force small landowners off their land.
Her work made her the target of many death threats.
“The Pará government failed to protect her,” said Paulo Adario,
Greenpeace Amazon coordinator who had worked with Sister Dorothy.
“But she was not alone. There are many others who risk their lives
fighting against forest destruction and for the rights of local
communities. The violence and intimidation must stop.”
For years, Greenpeace has worked with local communities and
federal authorities in Brazil to stop illegal logging and other
destructive operations in the Amazon. Approximately one-third of
the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon takes place in Pará, and
the state is notorious for both environmental abuse and human
rights violations. In October 2003, Greenpeace published State of
Conflict, a report detailing the criminal practices used by major
logging companies in Pará to usurp land, threaten residents and
decimate the rainforest, often with the complicity of the local
officials. To read State of Conflict, visit
www.greenpeaceusa.org/reports/more-reports?campaign_id=512724
.
CONTACT: Nancy Hwa, media officer
for Greenpeace in the U.S., (202) 413-8521 (cell)
Tica Minami, media officer for Greenpeace Amazon Campaign: +55
92 9995 2070
