"'A Morte da floresta é o fim da nossa vida," which is Portuguese for "The death of the forest is the end of our life."

Dot Stang


Dorothty ' Dot' Stang  (July 7, 1931–February 12, 2005) was an American-born, nun of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur order, who was murdered in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Stang was outspoken in her efforts on behalf of the poor and the environment, following a series of death threats from loggers and land owners to desist from these  activities.

Stang who was born in Dayton Ohio but took on Brazilian citizenship involved herself in advocacy work with the rural poor in the 1970's . Stang struggled to protect the right of poor people to work and live off the land with dignity and respect for the environment free of the intimidation and violence of landowners and criminal gangs.


Stang was reading from the Bible when two gunmen aimed weapons at her as she walked to a meeting in the Amazon jungle. According to witnesses, while being held at gunpoint she read a line from the Gospel of Matthew: "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied." Stangwas shot and killed at point-blank range, and her  killers then shot  her body 5 more times.

On 15 May 2007, a Brazilian court sentenced wealthy rancher Vitalmiro Bastos Moura, age 36, to the maximum term of 30 years in prison for ordering and financing the murder of Dorothy Stang.  Stang's brother David, who was at the trial, said "justice was done".

On May 7th 2008 de Moura was freed after being acquitted .

Dorothy Stang's relatives are said to be stunned by the acquittal but the poor farmers of the Amazon basin are probably not so suprised as they know money buys its own justice. .

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