On 22 October 2011, Brazilian human rights defender Mr Joao Chupel Primo was murdered inside a car repair shop in Itaituba, close to Altamira, in the state of Pará.

Further Information

Joao Chupel Primo was a community leader who was involved in the Projeto de Assentamento Areia (Areia Settlement Project) and he had denounced ongoing illegal logging activities at the Riozinho do Anfrisio reserve and at Trairao national forest.

Joao Chupel Primo was the coordinator of the Miritituba Catholic Community and a leader within the Projeto de Assentamento Areia in the Riozinho Anfrisio reserve. The environmental rights defender had filed many complaints concerning ongoing illegal logging activities and falsification of land deeds in the region to the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade – ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) and the Federal Police, which had led to a formal investigation into said activities. As a result of his work in this regard Joao Chupel Primo had also filed a number of complaints to local authorities concerning death threats that he had received.

On 22 October 2011, at approximately 2:00pm, Joao Chupel Primo was shot in the head and killed inside the car repair shop where he also worked in the city of Itaituba, Pará state. It is reported that the victim was approached by two men, who arrived on a motorcycle, and who called him by name and asked for mechanical assistance. Joao Chupel Primo was then shot in the head and the two men left the scene. The killing occurred only a few hours after the environmental rights defender had gone to the State Public Prosecutor (MPF) in Altamira to denounce illegal logging activities. On 20 October, Joao Chupel Primo went to the MPF in Altamira to report an unofficial route that was being used to take wood out of the Riozinho do Anfrisio reserve and Trairao national forest.

Of further concern are the recent amendments to the Forest Code, as approved by the Chamber of Deputies of the Brazilian Congress. These amendments are widely believed to weaken existing environmental controls and could therefore lead to an intensification of existing disputes. Under the new Forest Code, landowners responsible for committing environmental crimes are provided with an amnesty and therefore are exempt from prosecution, which contributes to a growing climate of impunity for crimes carried out against human rights defenders working on environmental rights.

Front Line believes that the murder of Joao Chupel Primo was directly related to his legitimate and peaceful work in defence of environmental rights, in particular to his efforts concerning illegal logging in Pará State, and is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of his family.

The Portuguese version of this appeal is attached below.