Remembering Sister Dorothy Stang

Sister Dorothy's assassination occurred 16 years after the murder of Chico Mendes, an environmentalist whose death drew worldwide attention to the dangers faced by activists in the Amazon. "Like Chico Mendes, Sister Dorothy refused to be intimidated, and she paid the ultimate price for it," said Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Amazon coordinator who had worked with her. "She worked selflessly for many years supporting the rights of rural workers and defending the Amazon from deforestation."

Unfortunately, the killings of Chico Mendes and Sister Dorothy are just two of many that have occurred in the Amazon region. Between 1985 and 2004, more than 500 people have been killed over land disputes in Para state. Very few of these cases have been solved and even fewer have resulted in convictions by state authorities.