The last of the defendants in the Dorothy Stang murder has been sentenced to thirty years in prison. While I'm glad that this has finally happened, here's the more disturbing aspect of all this:
Stang's murder became a symbol of the often-violent conflicts over natural resources in the vast Amazon region.
In the 10 years through 2008, 365 people were murdered in such disputes, according to the Pastoral Land Commission, a watchdog linked to the Roman Catholic church that monitors conflicts over land in Brazil.
I would be interested in knowing how many of these murders have been solved or even if they went to trial. Para is a horribly violent and corrupt state. Dorothy Stang's greatest legacy would be to have justice be anything but newsworthy for being consistent.
I believe the answer to your question is "none." I think (and I may be mistaken, though I don't believe I am) that Stang's trial is so important because the trial around her murder was the first not just to have a conviction of landowners, but a TRIAL of them, in the region. There may have been some trials/convictions of gunmen (I'm not sure on this account), but her case marks the first time that the government has gone after (and succeeded in convicting) landowners who hire out these killings.
Posted by: Colin | May 02, 2010 at 11:10 PM
Well, the question was semi-rhetorical . . .
Posted by: Randinho | May 03, 2010 at 09:40 PM