Murder of AmCit Dorothy Mae Stang

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 000369

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

CA/OCS/ACS, WHA/BSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CASC PGOV PREL BR TIP
SUBJECT: Murder of AmCit Dorothy Mae Stang

REF: Henshaw/OP Center Telcons, 12 Feb.


1. (U) This cable is Sensitive But Unclassified.


2. (U) Summary. US citizen and Catholic nun Dorothy Mae
Stang was murdered in the northern Brazilian state of
Para February 12. She was an advocate for the landless
and had been involved in land disputes with powerful
landlords. Brazilian state and federal government
reactions have been forceful; three suspects have been
named. The Embassy has spoken with next-of-kin. End
Summary.


3. (U) US citizen Dorothy Mae Stang was shot to death in
the interior of the Brazilian state of Para at 7:30 a.m.
(GMT -3) on Saturday, February 12. Para, at the mouth
of the Amazon, has a history of land disputes and
lawlessness. The murder took place outside the town of
Anapu, in the rural center of the state. She was killed
by six shots (three to the head) by two gunmen on a
rural roadside while waiting to meet with local farmers.


4. (U) Stang, a 74-year old Catholic nun, had lived in
Brazil for thirty years and was well known as an
activist for agrarian reform. She was a member of the
Sisters of Notre Dame. Stang had received a number of
death threats in recent years; earlier in the week of
her death, she had met with federal human rights
authorities to complain of recent threats. The death
threats reportedly came from large landowners involved
in the cattle and timber industries. Stang worked with
landless peasants seeking land; the large landowners
that opposed her efforts for the most part do not/not
own their land legally, rather they maintain control by
force. Stang supported efforts of the federal
governments National Institute for Colonization and
Agrarian Reform, which seeks to place the landless on
unused and underutilized land.


5. (U) Sister Dorothy, as she was known in Para,
became a Brazilian citizen in 2003 and was named an
honorary citizen of Para state in December 2004 by the
states assembly, in recognition of her efforts to
create sustainable development projects in the Amazon
region. She had repeatedly stated that she believed her
status as a nun would protect her against attacks.


6. (U) Brazils environment minister, Marina Silva
(herself a follower of slain environmentalist Chico
Mendes),who was in Para at the time, immediately
visited the site and strongly condemned the murder.
President Lula ordered the justice minister to deploy
the federal police to work along side Para state police
during the investigation. Lula also sent Nilmario
Miranda, his human rights Secretary, to Para to follow
events. Various Para state officials, including the
governor, also condemned the crime.


7. (U) Police are searching for three suspects; they
have not released their names. Two are the gunmen, who
were identified by witnesses of the murder. A third is
a rancher suspected of organizing the killing. Later on
February 12, Adalberto Xavier Leal, a ranch hand, was
shot to death in Anapu. Leal worked for landowner
Dinair Feijo Cunha; the Catholic Churchs Pastoral Land
Commission (CPT) had accused Lean and Cunha of being
behind Dorothy Stangs murder. (Note: We do not know if
either Leal or Cunha were the same individuals being
sought by the police.)


8. (U) Dorothy Stangs body was taken to Belem, the
capital of Para, for an autopsy on February 13.
Following a mass in her honor, Stangs body was flown
back to Anapu on February 14 for burial.


9. (U) Both the Ambassador and Consul General spoke with
Stangs brother, David Stang (719-487-1295) to offer our
condolences. CG also spoke with Stangs sister, Barbara
Richardson (937-275-6649). David Stang confirmed the
familys support of the orders decision to bury his
sister in Anapu, adding that it was his sisters wish to
be buried there. Our consular agent in Belem attended
the autopsy and accompanied the body back to Anapu.


10. (SBU) LEGATT has offered its assistance to federal
officials at the working level, but believes that they
have the case well in hand, at least at this stage.
LEGATT expertise may be needed as the case progresses,
e.g., with ballistics.


11. (U) The Ambassador released the following statement
February 14:

Begin Text:

I would like to express publicly what I have conveyed
privately to Sister Dorothy Stang's family in the United
States. I am saddened and appalled [and saddened] by
this brutal and senseless killing. Sister Stang was a
courageous individual who loved the people of Brazil and
and who dedicated her life to serving [others] those less
fortunate. I share the outrage over her tragic loss
with her family, her order, and her friends and
colleagues in Brazil who have worked with her over many
years.

Sister Stang was well known to many at the Embassy. She
had received U.S. government support through USAID for
her work on women's issues and in defense of traditional
populations in the Amazon.

The United States Embassy is following the investigation
closely, and is encouraged by the swift reaction of both
the Brazilian government and the Federal Police. We are
confident that there will be a full and thorough
investigation into this murder, and that those
responsible will be brought to justice.

End Text.


12. (SBU) Comment: We are encouraged by the initial
reaction of state and federal officials and believe it
likely that arrests will be made. However, the courts
are the weak link in the Brazilian criminal; once there
it will take a good deal of pressure to keep the case
moving. We plan to follow it closely.

Danilovich