Regivaldo Pereira Galva, a Brazilian man, is accused of ordering the murder of sister Dorothy Stang, a 73-year-old American nun. Sister Stang is a U.S. missionary sister who worked in the Amazon forest in Para, Brazil. Stang was killed in 2005.
Regivaldo Pereira Galvao was recently seen at the site of the 2005 murder. He is accused of pressuring peasants into giving him their property rights according to prosecutor Felicio Pontes. The 7,400 acres of land in dispute is known as "Lot 55" in the Amazon.
Charges against Galvao include charges of land fraud and slavery. He is already charged with conspiracy to murder because of sister Stang's death. Sister Stang had been an advocate for the rights of landless peasants by giving them access to public land and promoting sustainable farming practices. She helped create a land distribution project, the Project for Sustainable Development (PDS), which had the support of the Brazilian government.
Regivaldo Pereira Galvao was recently seen at the site of the 2005 murder. He is accused of pressuring peasants into giving him their property rights according to prosecutor Felicio Pontes. The 7,400 acres of land in dispute is known as "Lot 55" in the Amazon.
Charges against Galvao include charges of land fraud and slavery. He is already charged with conspiracy to murder because of sister Stang's death. Sister Stang had been an advocate for the rights of landless peasants by giving them access to public land and promoting sustainable farming practices. She helped create a land distribution project, the Project for Sustainable Development (PDS), which had the support of the Brazilian government.
If Regivaldo Pereira Galva caused this sister's death, may heaven help him. In the mean time, he must be presumed innocent.
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19 comments:
She was a special lady. When her killers came for her, she read them Bible passages.
Shell
I hope she was not killed just for money...
More often then not, it is all about the money, baby!
Dollar Bill
It was about the money. And you can presume innocence, but she was my Aunt, and she told me who was after her. The loggers and the ranchers period. She was in the way of them making lots of money so companies like Cargill could buy the soy they grow and provide cattle feed for their cattle. It's definitely about the money. she told me the summer before she died that if anything happened to her, that was who did it and she was worried for the people of Anapu because if she was gone she didn't know who would continue to help them. She only cared about them and the forest. That rainforest supports way more life than most people realize and the more we destroy it the worse global warming becomes, the worse all the respiratory problems become etc. Greed kills.
Jeannie
This is an awful accusition if true!
It's true. All you have to do is google the murders in the state of Para over the last 20 years or so and you will be amazed. No one goes to jail for killing these people. My Aunt had written letters for years to her siblings, my mother included, about what the ranchers and loggers did and how the local police did nothing. She asked for protection for her people and herself the night before and they told her no. She knew they were coming for her and she invited them to the meeting so she could show them the map and which land belonged to her people and they didn't want to see it, they just killed her. You can see the documentary "They killed Sister Dorothy" when it goes nationwide..it is up for an Oscar right now. It's very simple, money will buy your way out of jail and greed kills.....the poor.
Thanks for sharing your aunts story. It is a problem that needs to be publicized and corrected.
It does need to be recognized. HOpefully, the jailing of Regivaldo will open more people's eyes. THe public (all countries) need to demand that the govt. of Brazil reform and do more for their poor. Cargill is now in the ethanol business and they get it from sugar cane. The people that harvest it make about $1.35 an hour and it is backbreaking work. We drive the need for these things and companies like Cargill drive these people to cut down the trees and grow soy or sugar cane. People need to be informed and speak up about it. My Aunt was trying to just keep some land for the people to grow enough crops to sustain themselves, nothing more. Sustainable growth instead of slash and burn, but someone with power took it for themselves. They burn houses(huts) to chase people off or they pull someone out of the house and shoot them in front of the rest of the family so they will flee. It's a terrible situation.
This sounds awful. Your aunt was a saint.
Chris
Anon:
I second Chris' comment...Your aunt was a saint. I hate to be negative but things won't change, they've been the same since the beginning of time. Money and power rule.
You're probably right, but without hope, what is there? THat's all these people have. I just keep praying that we all wake up. SHe was a saint,but she was real too and she was determined to help others, so I am determined to do what I can. Without God I am nothing, so I pray.
Jeannie, Some times, prayer is enough. Other times, there needs to be soldiers such as Sister Stang who take up the cross with actions. I do agree that the first step is bringing those responsible for Sister Stang's murder to justice. Publicity and justice, together have the opportunity to effectuate change.
Ye
This scum bag needs help from heaven and a great lawyer!
This scum bag needs help from heaven and a great lawyer!
Their lawyers are something, they said that because my Aunt was American she was capable of great violence. All Americans have it in their DNA. He really said that! Anyhow, we pray and trust in God, not humans, but we have to speak up and let God know we care. Let each other know we care. Putting these thugs in jail is a start, so the poor people there have a chance at just a little piece of land to sustain themselves with dignity.
Peace.
Jeannie, I can't speak for all Americans, but most of us Catholics are pretty darn proud of our DNA.
Alberto
I agree, and I don't agree with violence./ Neither did she or the people there. Lawyers just do whatever they can to make their foe seem like a horrible person, but we all know who the bad guys are here.
Peace to all.
Pretty hard to make a Nun look bad. Regivaldo has egg on his face on this one.
Javier
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