

Currently released so far... 12689 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
2011/05/18
2011/05/19
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AF
ASEC
AR
AEMR
AMGT
AE
AU
AID
AORC
APER
AS
AM
AFIN
AMED
AJ
AGR
ACOA
ANET
ASIG
ABLD
AL
AA
APECO
AGAO
AY
AGMT
APEC
AINF
AG
ACS
AECL
AFFAIRS
ABUD
ASUP
ADANA
AADP
AMCHAMS
ARF
ASEAN
ADPM
ATRN
ALOW
APCS
ADCO
ACAO
AORG
AROC
AO
AODE
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
ASCH
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
ADM
AN
AIT
BU
BR
BL
BO
BA
BB
BG
BM
BBSR
BH
BEXP
BK
BD
BTIO
BT
BE
BY
BF
BX
BP
BRUSSELS
BILAT
BIDEN
BC
BMGT
BWC
BN
BTIU
CH
CG
CF
CU
CE
CVIS
CASC
CO
CS
CA
CIDA
CBW
CW
CMGT
CI
CODEL
CY
CPAS
CJAN
CD
CWC
CDG
CIA
CL
CROS
CAPC
CTR
CT
CR
CBSA
CEUDA
COM
CFED
CV
CACS
CARSON
CLINTON
CN
CONS
CM
CAC
CIC
COPUOS
CDC
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
COUNTER
COUNTRY
CBE
CKGR
CHR
CVR
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
COE
CARICOM
CB
CSW
CITT
CACM
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CLMT
CBC
CNARC
CIS
EG
EZ
EUN
ECON
ETRD
ECPS
EFIN
ENRG
ETTC
EPET
EINV
EAID
EAIR
EWWT
EU
EAGR
EC
ELAB
EIND
EN
EMIN
ESENV
ENNP
EFIS
ELTN
ET
ECIN
EFTA
ES
EINT
EI
ENGR
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENVI
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECINECONCS
ELN
ELECTIONS
ENVR
EXTERNAL
EXIM
ETRO
ENIV
ESA
ER
EK
EUR
EFINECONCS
EUMEM
EUREM
EPA
ERNG
ENERG
ECA
ETRC
EINVEFIN
ETC
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
ECONOMIC
EXBS
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
EAIG
EUC
ERD
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
IS
IZ
IR
IC
IO
IN
ID
IGAD
IT
ILC
IAEA
ITU
ICAO
IMO
IBRD
IMF
ICJ
IAHRC
ITF
INRA
INRO
IWC
IQ
IV
ICRC
ICTY
INRB
IEFIN
ILO
ITRA
ITALY
IBET
ISRAELI
IL
INTELSAT
IRC
IDP
ICTR
IRAQI
IPR
IIP
INMARSAT
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
INTERNAL
IRS
IA
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
ISRAEL
IACI
INDO
IDA
ISLAMISTS
KSPR
KNNP
KWBG
KAWK
KISL
KPAO
KN
KS
KIPR
KCRM
KDEM
KIRF
KJUS
KHLS
KSCA
KOMC
KAWC
KV
KFRD
KWMN
KTIP
KPWR
KSUM
KGHG
KTIA
KTFN
KIRC
KCOR
KACT
KMDR
KGIC
KOLY
KUNR
KIDE
KMPI
KPKO
KCFE
KVPR
KRAD
KPAL
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KTEX
KTDB
KFSC
KZ
KSEP
KFLU
KE
KU
KPLS
KRVC
KRIM
KSTH
KG
KFLO
KPOA
KICC
KDDG
KPRV
KTBT
KBCT
KSAF
KMOC
KDRG
KBIO
KREC
KSTC
KVRP
KBTR
KMIG
KENV
KNSD
KCGC
KWAC
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KWMM
KPRP
KNEI
KPAI
KO
KVIR
KX
KMCA
KCRS
KMFO
KID
KCIP
KNAR
KR
KCRCM
KBTS
KSEO
KHDP
KFIN
KOCI
KGIT
KNUP
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KSCI
KTLA
KHIV
KCSY
KTRD
KMRS
KNPP
KJUST
KCMR
KTER
KRCM
KCFC
KSAC
KCHG
KREL
KFTFN
KCOM
KLIG
KDEMAF
KAID
KGCC
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KRGY
KIFR
KWMNCS
KPAK
KOMS
KHSA
MPOS
MOPS
MARR
MTCR
MNUC
MASS
MX
MCAP
MAR
MTRE
MASC
MK
MG
MTCRE
MI
MD
MA
MO
MY
MU
ML
MRCRE
MAS
MEDIA
MC
MR
MIL
MW
MARAD
MAPP
MZ
MP
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPN
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MT
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MDC
MEPP
MASSMNUC
MUCN
MQADHAFI
NATO
NG
NL
NZ
NT
NW
NO
NU
NS
NPT
NASA
NI
NK
NSG
NE
NORAD
NAFTA
NP
NATIONAL
NSSP
NSF
NA
NGO
NV
NR
NDP
NIPP
NZUS
NH
NC
NEW
NRR
NAR
NATOPREL
NPG
NSC
NPA
NSFO
OPDC
OPRC
OEXC
OTRA
ODIP
OIIP
OVIP
OPIC
OPCW
OAS
OREP
OSCE
OSCI
OES
OFDP
OECD
OCS
OIC
OPAD
OVP
OHUM
OFFICIALS
OIE
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OBSP
OFDA
ON
OCII
PREL
PGOV
PARM
PINR
PTER
PHUM
PK
PREF
PM
PHSA
PA
PINS
PE
PBTS
PCI
PO
PL
POGOV
PAK
PEL
PGIV
PROP
PP
PBIO
POL
POLITICS
POLICY
PINL
PBT
PMIL
POV
PTBS
PG
POSTS
PALESTINIAN
PROV
PNAT
PINF
PRL
PAS
PDOV
PRAM
PREO
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PAO
PREFA
PSI
POLITICAL
PAIGH
PARMS
PROG
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PS
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PGOC
PY
PLN
PHUH
PF
PHUS
PU
PARTIES
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PHUMPREL
RS
RU
RW
REACTION
RCMP
RSO
RO
RP
ROOD
RM
ROBERT
RICE
REGION
RSP
RF
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
RELATIONS
RFE
REPORT
SY
SP
SOCI
SMIG
SNAR
SCUL
SC
SU
SO
SI
SENV
SZ
SW
SA
SR
SF
SEVN
SN
STEINBERG
SEN
SG
SYR
SWE
SK
SH
SNARCS
SAARC
SNARIZ
SPCE
SARS
SNARN
SCRS
SYRIA
SL
SENVKGHG
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SANC
SHI
SHUM
SIPRS
TSPA
TSPL
TU
TBIO
TRGY
TPHY
TS
TP
TW
TBID
TI
TF
TZ
TD
TT
TN
TNGD
TC
TX
TH
TL
TIP
THPY
TV
TK
TERRORISM
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TINT
TFIN
TAGS
TR
US
UNSC
UNGA
UK
UP
UNCHC
UN
UNMIK
UNCSD
UY
USTR
USOAS
UNHRC
UNFCYP
UG
UNAUS
UNESCO
UNIDROIT
UNO
UV
UNHCR
USUN
UZ
USNC
UNCHR
UNCND
UNEP
USEU
USPS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNDP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
UNPUOS
UNDC
UNICEF
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 05BRASILIA464, THREE SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY IN STANG MURDER, BUT
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #05BRASILIA464.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
05BRASILIA464 | 2005-02-22 20:18 | 2010-12-15 07:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Brasilia |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 000464
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2015
TAGS: BR CASC KCRM PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI TIP
SUBJECT: THREE SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY IN STANG MURDER, BUT
DOUBTS ABOUT INVESTIGATION EMERGE
REF: A. BRASILIA 00369 B. BRASILIA 00437 Classified By: Political Counselor Dennis Hearne. Reason: 1.4 (d).
¶1. (C) By February 22, police had arrested three of the four suspects in the February 12 murder of US missionary Dorothy Stang in Para state in northern Brazil. Both alleged gunman plus the middleman who hired them are now in custody. The fourth suspect, the landowner who is the alleged mastermind of the assassination, remains at large and his attorney is negotiating his surrender. To outward appearances, the case is moving along well. However, many remain convinced that the state authorities leading the investigation are seriously compromised by links to large landowners, and that a full investigation and fair trial will not take place unless the case is taken over by federal authorities. To this end, federal officials are reviewing their options and a decision on "federalizing" the case is expected in the coming days. The case continues to command enormous press and government interest in Brazil. (Note: We request strict protection for identities of sources in this report. End Note). END SUMMARY.
THREE OF FOUR SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY ---------------------------------
¶2. (C) On February 21, the third of four suspects in the murder of US missionary Sister Dorothy Stang was taken into custody by police in the northern Brazilian state of Para. Per refs, Stang, 73, was shot to death by two men on February 12 on a dirt road near the town of Anapu, in the state's rural interior, apparently because of her activities on behalf of landless farmers and the rainforest. The attack was witnessed by one of Stang's colleagues who escaped uninjured and is now under police protection. The investigation is focusing on four suspects: the two gunmen (Rayfran "Fogoio" de Sales and Uilquelano "Eduardo" de Souza Pinto), the middleman who hired them (Amair Feijoli "Tato" da Cunha), and the alleged mastermind (landowner Vitalmiro Goncalves "Bida" de Moura). 3. (C) On February 19, alleged middleman Tato da Cunha turned himself in to police, reportedly afraid for his own safety in the tense region. On February 20-21, the two gunmen were captured separately by police acting on tips. Only landowner Bida de Moura remains at large, and authorities told us on February 21 that his attorney is negotiating his surrender. Alleged triggerman Rayfran de Sales has already confessed his involvement to police but thus far has refused to implicate Bida de Moura.
STATE POLICE MAY BE COMPROMISED -------------------------------
¶4. (C) On February 21, Embassy Poloff, USAID Environmental Officer and US Consular Agent met with authorities in Belem, the capital of Para state at the mouth of the Amazon River. To outward appearances, the investigations are proceeding smoothly, yet there are serious concerns that the state police have been compromised by improper links to large landowners in the area who are involved in illegal land appropriation and deforestation. There is a belief here that a full investigation and fair trial will not be realized unless the case is taken over by federal authorities.
¶5. (C) State police have primary jurisdiction over murder cases, and the Para authorities have taken the lead in investigating the Stang murder. However, because of the implications for federal environmental, human rights, and agrarian policies, the Federal Police and federal prosecutors are conducting their own parallel inquiry, and tensions between the two forces are beginning to emerge.
Manoel Santino, the Special State Secretary for Social Defense, who commands the state's two police forces (the investigative "Policia Civil" and the uniformed "Policia Militar") told us that the inquiry is proceeding quickly and that state investigators (deploying an "Israeli-made wiretap system", he told us) are convinced of the involvement of the four suspects. Santino noted that Dorothy Stang had met with him four times in recent months to discuss tensions in the Anapu area, but that she had not accepted police protection. (N.b., Stang reported receiving numerous credible death threats in the past two years, so the question of why she had no police protection has generated some finger-pointing here. Our discussions with authorities and her friends and colleagues suggest that she did not accept protection because she harbored suspicions about the loyalties of the state police and because she felt that if she were well-protected, potential assassins would then attack those around her who did not have protection.)
¶6. (C) In a separate conversation, XXXXXX, pronounced himself "deeply concerned" that the investigation will be intentionally compromised by state authorities. Corrupt state authorities are widely believed to have allowed lucrative large-scale illegal land appropriation and clear-cutting to have continued for years. XXXXXX observed that Dorothy Stang was "widely-known, a walking archive of land theft, persistent, and well-prepared", thus she became a "stone in the shoe of landowners and state police." Based on the federal authorities' parallel investigation, XXXXX is convinced that the two gunmen in custody were involved in the killing, but he is not yet certain about the involvement of alleged mastermind Bida de Moura. XXXXXX minced no words, he told us that the state police in the rural areas are closely connected with large landowners and have been known to hire themselves out as gunmen and to intentionally obstruct investigations. He said he is "very worried about the direction of the investigation, the speed with which state police settled on the four suspects, and the security of those in custody." XXXXX pointed out that higher-ups in the conspiracy could easily "erase" the suspects now in jail, either by arranging for them to be killed or by allowing them to escape --both common scenarios in Para's jails. XXXXXX added that he had learned that as they were arresting gunman Rayfran de Sales, state police officers reportedly threatened him and told him how to structure his confession.
¶7. (C) XXXXXX's fears about the involvement of the state police were echoed by State Congressman XXXXXX . XXXXXX is an environmentalist who serves on the State Assembly's Human Rights Committee. Between meetings at the State Assembly, XXXXXX pulled us into a corner and hurriedly whispered that he was convinced that officials in the state police are involved in a cover-up to protect the higher-ups in the Stang murder. Similar concerns were shared with us by Dorothy Stang's colleagues, two nuns with her religious order 'The Sisters of Notre Dame' in Belem (strictly protect this reference). One of the Sisters told us, "The cops in Anapu are all tied in with the landowners. As long as the state police and officials are involved, this case will go nowhere. It's got to go to the federal level."
¶8. (C) Further suspicions were raised by odd public comments from the attorney for alleged ringleader Bida de Moura. The attorney, Augusto Septinio, helped to negotiate the surrender of middleman Tato da Cunha and is now negotiating the surrender of his own client. Septinio told the press that, "I could have turned Tato in to the Federal Police but I decided to do the honors with the state police instead". Septinio added that he had been working hard to locate alleged gunman Rayfran de Sales in the days before Sales was arrested. Left unclear was why Bida's attorney chose to "honor" the state police, why he was negotiating Tato's surrender (which leaves an impression of conflict with his own client's interests), and why he was so eager to contact the fleeing triggerman.
RED HERRING SUSPECT -------------------
¶9. (C) One element of the confession of triggerman Rayfran de Sales is universally disbelieved: his charge that the murder was ordered by Francisco "Chiquinho" de Souza, a local Workers' Party (PT) politician in the town of Anapu. De Souza, a leader of the rural workers' union was a close friend of Dorothy Stang and worked with her in support of small farmers. Senior officials with both the state and federal police with whom we spoke saw the attempt to implicate De Souza as a clumsy try at protecting the real conspirators.
"FEDERALIZATION" OF THE CASE ----------------------------
¶10. (C) A recently-passed law allows the federal government to take over from the states cases of grave human rights abuses. The law has yet to be invoked, and the Stang murder may represent its trial run. The decision on whether to take over a case is left to the discretion of Federal Prosecutor-General Claudio Fonteles, and must be approved by the Supreme Federal Court. XXXX told us that Fonteles is now considering invoking the "federalization" law in the Stang murder and that a decision should be announced in the coming days.
HEIGHTENED SECURITY IN THE REGION ---------------------------------
¶11. (C) The state and federal police have reinforced their presence in the interior of the state. In addition, the Army has deployed approximately 180 troops to the area around the town of Anapu, and has approximately 1,800 more troops available to deploy if necessary. Everyone we spoke with, from left-of-center politicians to police and government officials, sees the military as providing a positive presence. Given the perceived weaknesses in the state police, the small size of the federal police unit in the state, and the fact that the police are chronically under-equipped, the Army has been able to take a helpful supporting role in maintaining security and supporting police operations. The Army intervention was requested by Para Governor Simao Jatene in meetings with President Lula, and was approved by the State Assembly. There is no fixed end-date for the Army intervention.
¶12. (C) David Stang, brother of Dorothy, will be arriving in Brazil February 24 to visit the gravesite of his sister. Though the visit is orchestrated by Dorothy Stang's order, our consular agent in Belem will meet and assist as necessary. The CG in Sao Paulo will greet Stang as he transits on his way to Belem; the Ambassador will meet Stang when he transits Brasilia on his way back to the U.S. The Embassy continues to provide updates on the case to a number of Dorothy Stang's relatives.
COMMENT - INTENSE PRESS AND GOB ATTENTION -----------------------------------------
¶13. (C) The Stang murder continues to command great attention from the Brazilian government and press. Federal and state task forces have been formed to address various elements of the issue, from protecting human rights activists to clarifying the complex web of land ownership issues at the heart of the disputes. A new land-use plan for Para state is being hurriedly pushed forward, designed to demarcate protected reserves from lands available for commercial use. The Stang case is on the cover of both major weekly newsmagazines (Veja and IstoE) and progress is detailed on the front pages of every newspaper. By all accounts, President Lula is following the case closely. On February 21 he told the press he would not rest until the murders were locked up, adding, "It is abominable that people still think a .38 revolver is the solution to a conflict, no matter how serious." Given longstanding concerns about the performance, corruptibility, and low morale of state police throughout Brazil, coupled with specific concerns about state police performance on the Stang investigation, we will be watching closely to see whether the federal authorities decide to assert their jurisdiction.
DANILOVICH