Letter from John Passacantando to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

The Honorable Mr. Simão Jatene
Governor of the State of Pará

CC: The Honorable Ms. Marina Silva
Minister of Environment

The Honorable Mr. Miguel Rossetto
Minister of Land Reform

The Honorable Mr. Márcio Thomaz Bastos
Minister of Justice

The Honorable Mr. Celso Amorim
Ministro of Foreign Affairs

The Honorable Mr. Nilmário Miranda
Special Secretary for Human Rights

Rio de Janeiro, Washington and Amsterdam
February 13, 2005

Dear Presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Governor Simão Jatene,

The assassination of 73-year-old U.S.-born and Brazilian citizen Sister Dorothy Stang this weekend in Anapu City, Pará State, is one more sad example of the impunity in remote regions of the Amazon. Lawlessness and intimidation prevail in these areas, and this episode is unacceptable and scandalous.

Sister Dorothy was seen as a true sister for many people and she believed in a peaceful and sustainable future. She was one of the few people dedicated to defending the Amazon forest and local communities against the attacks of landgrabbers, and she untiringly promoted a strong presence of the government in the Amazon. She had lived for more than 30 years in the Transamazonica and dedicated almost half of her life to giving a voice to rural communities, defending their land rights, and fighting for a development model that would not promote forest destruction.

The murder of Sister Dorothy was a tragedy, but it was not unexpected. Because she fought to defend the Amazon, she was attacked and unjustly accused of inciting violence in the region, and she received death threats many times.

The state of Pará has the highest rate of assassinations related to land disputes. Between 1985 and 2001, almost 40 percent of the 1,237 deaths of rural workers in Brazil occurred in Pará. It leads the states in deforestation, illegal logging, land-grabbing, slavery, and plays a leading role in both environmental abuse and human rights violations as documented in the Greenpeace report “Pará: State of Conflict”, launched in October 2003.

Sixteen years after the death of Chico Mendes, impunity continues unchecked in the remote regions of the Amazon. We cannot accept more martyrs in the Amazon. Also, we also must not accept one more drop of blood in the forest.

Mr. President and Mr. Governor, the authorities of your governments, and particularly the state government of Pará, had previously been alerted about the conflicts in the region and the threats that Sister Dorothy endured. However, no one acted to provide security to her and the other leaders. Greenpeace urges that there be a rigorous investigation, punishment of those responsible and a complete end to the killing that characterizes the Amazon by the rule of violence and intimidation, rather than the rule of law.

We trust that the Brazilian government will assume full responsibility in bringing justice to this crime and will implement concrete measures to end the causes of this violence, such as land-grabbing and illegal logging, and guarantee a sustainable future for the Amazon forest and its inhabitants.

Yours sincerely,

Gerd Leipold
Executive Director, Greenpeace International

Frank Guggenheim
Executive Director, Greenpeace Brazil

John Passacantando
Executive Director, Greenpeace United States of America