Anti-logging activist murdered in Amazon

[naaman fletcher]

An Amazon environmental activist and his wife were killed late on Monday and the crime is being investigated as a possible assassination to silence the outspoken forest defender, according to police.

José Claudio Ribeiro da Silva, also known by his nickname of "Ze Claudio," was shot and killed along with his wife, Maria do Espírito Santo da Silva, in Nova Ipixuna, a rural town of 15,000 people in the northeast Brazilian Amazon state of Para, about 40km from the nearest city, Maraba.

Exact details and circumstances of the death are not yet clear. However, Felicio Pontes a federal prosecutor in Para state, as well as Marcos Augusto Cruz, the local civil police investigator, told Al Jazeera by phone late on Tuesday that the killings have all the signs of a cold-blooded murder for hire.

"We are working on a hypothesis that this was an execution because the shooters cut off one ear of each of the victims," Cruz told Al Jazeera.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/05/201152420380498450.html

Much more at link

[dipsydoodle]

1. BBC News link

A prominent Brazilian conservationist and his wife have been killed in the Amazon region, police have said.

They said Joao Claudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do Espirito Santo were ambushed in Para state, near the city of Maraba.

The environmentalist had repeatedly warned of death threats against him by loggers and cattle ranchers.

News of the killings came hours before Brazil's Chamber of Deputies passed a law that eases deforestation rules.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13536298

[Judi Lynn]

2. What a filthy shame the same scum, loggers and ranchers murdered these people,

who have been people of a far higher principle all their lives.

The scum of the earth always seem to prey upon the good people, it's such an old, hellish story, isn't it? Of course you'd never hear of a bunch of good people conspiring to destroy the truly evil ones among us, would you?

You may remember the ranchers in brazil hired hitmen to murder an American nun, Dorothy Stang who became a naturalized Brazilian herself, another martyr for the poor, and for saving the environment.

By the way, Dipsydoodle, I saw an article earlier tonight which said Dilma Rousseff has said she's going to veto that crap when she gets it. Hope she kills it deader than these unfortunate beings who've just been slaughtered due to the greed of monsters.