Brazil: Suspect in US nun's killing ordered jailed

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Brazil: Suspect in US nun's killing ordered jailed
2/4/2010, 6:28 p.m. EST
The Associated Press

(AP) — RIO DE JANERIO - A Brazilian court has ordered the jailing of a rancher accused of masterminding the 2005 killing of an American nun in the Amazon.

The court on Thursday denied a writ of habeas corpus for Vitalmiro Moura. He is one of two ranchers charged with ordering the murder of Dayton, Ohio, native Dorothy Stang over a land dispute.

Moura was convicted in 2007, but was acquitted on an automatic retrial in 2008. That acquittal was overturned on a technicality last April and Moura has been free pending the habeas corpus ruling.

His next trial is expected sometime this year.

More than 1,100 land activists across Brazil were killed in the last 20 years over land disputes.

Read more: http://www.silive.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/base/international-24/126533120863820.xml&storylist=international

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Vitalmiro Moura

http://andressole.files.wordpress.com.nyud.net:8090/2008/07/dorothy_stang.jpg http://marianist.com.nyud.net:8090/nlimages/stang-dorothy-v5-02.jpg

Dorothy Stang

http://vocation-network.org.nyud.net:8090/images/cms-images/articles/2006/dorothy_stand_%20lead_3.jpg

http://www.clubeletras.net.nyud.net:8090/blog/images/DorothyStangmorta.jpg http://graphics8.nytimes.com.nyud.net:8090/images/2005/02/13/international/brazil.184.1.jpg
Dorothy Stang Wikipedia:

Dorothy Mae Stang (July 7, 1931–February 12, 2005) was an American-born, Brazilian sister of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur order, who was murdered in Anapu, a city in the state of Pará, in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Stang was outspoken in her efforts on behalf of the poor and the environment, and had previously received death threats from loggers and land owners.

~snip~
On the morning of February 12, 2005, Dorothy and Ciero woke up early to walk to a community meeting to speak about the rights for the Amazon. Ciero, the farmer Stang invited to the meeting, was going to be late because of some interruptions. As Ciero was a couple minutes away from Dorothy, he was able to see her but hid within the bushes from the two armed men. She progressed on and was blocked by the two men, Clodoaldo and Raifran. They asked if she had any weapons, and she claimed that the only weapon would be her bible. She then read a passage from the Beatitudes, "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." She continued a couple of steps but was suddenly stopped when Ciero called her, "Sister," as she was held at gun point by Raifran. As Clodoaldo approved of discharging at Dorothy, Raifran fired a round at Dorothy's abdomen. She fell face down on the ground. Raifran fired another round into Dorothy's back, then fired all four rounds into her head.

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Stang

[onehandle]

1. Gunning down a nun.

There is something in particular about nuns being shot that is more staggeringly shocking to me than many other acts of gun violence.

[rpannier]

2. Gunning down a 74 year old woman

Not only that, but after she fell he shot her in the back and then in the head.

This guy better hope there is no Hell, because he's on the Express Train there if there is.

[Libertas1776]

3. Despicable

Utterly despicable, dastardly, and just plain evil. An innocent woman who followed the true teachings of Jesus, caring for the poor and downtrodden and doing her utmost to preserve this Earth on which we all share, was mercilessly gunned down. I hope this scumbag's justice is swift and is a sentence no less than LIFE.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Brazil Sends Murderer of American Missionary Back to Prison

Brazil Sends Murderer of American Missionary Back to Prison
2010 - February 2010
Written by Ivan Richard
Friday, 05 February 2010 16:08

American missionary Sister Dorothy Stang, who worked with poor people, often landless farmers, in northern Brazil in a part of the state of Pará known for land conflicts, was assassinated on February 12, 2005. A farmer, Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura, aka Bida, was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

But, as a 30-year sentence is the maximum in Brazil, which doesn't have death penalty, legislation requires a second trial to confirm the sentence. At his second trial, Bida was found not guilty.

At the time of the second trial, and since then, Bida has been free due to a habeas corpus, which was granted pending an appeal by his defense lawyers of the first sentence.

Yesterday, February 4, an appellate court (STJ – 5º turma – 5th circuit) ordered him back to jail. The decision was not unanimous. One of the judges, Arnaldo Esteves Lima, the same judge who gave him the habeas corpus, cited the fact that technically Bida was innocent because of the decision in his second trial, and voted against sending him back to prison.

More:
http://www.brazzilmag.com/component/content/article/82-february-2010/11821-brazil-sends-murderer-of-american-missionary-back-to-prison.html

Short video: They Killed Sister Dorothy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVaqqPURp1U

[theHandpuppet]

5. About damn time!

Murdering pig! :grr: