![Keep Us Strong](/static/gfx/ja-cg.jpg)
![WikiLeaks logo](/static/gfx/WL_Hour_Glass_small.png)
Currently released so far... 5422 / 251,287
Articles
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
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Amsterdam
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 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 Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
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 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 Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
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
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Browse by tag
AF
AE
AJ
ASEC
AMGT
AR
AU
AG
AS
AM
AORC
AFIN
APER
ABUD
ATRN
AL
AEMR
ACOA
AO
AX
AMED
ADCO
AODE
AFFAIRS
AC
ASIG
ABLD
AA
AFU
ASUP
AROC
ATFN
AVERY
APCS
AER
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AEC
APECO
AGMT
CH
CASC
CA
CD
CV
CVIS
CMGT
CO
CI
CU
CBW
CLINTON
CE
CJAN
CIA
CG
CF
CN
CS
CAN
COUNTER
CDG
CIS
CM
CONDOLEEZZA
COE
CR
CY
CTM
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CPAS
CWC
CT
CKGR
CB
CACS
COM
CJUS
CARSON
CL
COUNTERTERRORISM
CACM
CDB
EPET
EINV
ECON
ENRG
EAID
ETRD
EG
ETTC
EFIN
EU
EAGR
ELAB
EIND
EUN
EAIR
ER
ECIN
ECPS
EFIS
EI
EINT
EZ
EMIN
ET
EC
ECONEFIN
ENVR
ES
ECA
ELN
EN
EFTA
EWWT
ELTN
EXTERNAL
EINVETC
ENIV
EINN
ENGR
EUR
ESA
ENERG
EK
ENGY
ETRO
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ESENV
ENVI
ELECTIONS
ECUN
EINVEFIN
ECIP
EINDETRD
EUC
EREL
IR
IZ
IS
IT
INTERPOL
IPR
IN
INRB
IAEA
IRAJ
INRA
INRO
IO
IC
ID
IIP
ITPHUM
IV
IWC
IQ
ICTY
ISRAELI
IRAQI
ICRC
ICAO
IMO
IF
ILC
IEFIN
INTELSAT
IL
IA
IBRD
IMF
INR
IRC
ITALY
ITALIAN
KCOR
KZ
KDEM
KN
KNNP
KPAL
KU
KWBG
KCRM
KE
KISL
KAWK
KSCA
KS
KSPR
KJUS
KFRD
KTIP
KPAO
KTFN
KIPR
KPKO
KNUC
KMDR
KGHG
KPLS
KOLY
KUNR
KDRG
KIRF
KIRC
KBIO
KHLS
KG
KACT
KGIC
KRAD
KCOM
KMCA
KV
KHDP
KVPR
KDEV
KWMN
KMPI
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KOMC
KTLA
KCFC
KTIA
KHIV
KPRP
KAWC
KCIP
KCFE
KOCI
KTDB
KMRS
KLIG
KBCT
KICC
KGIT
KSTC
KPAK
KNEI
KSEP
KPOA
KFLU
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KO
KTER
KSUM
KHUM
KRFD
KBTR
KDDG
KWWMN
KFLO
KSAF
KBTS
KPRV
KNPP
KNAR
KWMM
KERG
KFIN
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KTBT
KCRS
KRVC
KSTH
KREL
KNSD
KTEX
KPAI
KHSA
KR
KPWR
KWAC
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KGCC
KPIN
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MTCRE
MX
MCAP
MO
MNUC
ML
MR
MZ
MPOS
MOPPS
MTCR
MAPP
MU
MY
MA
MG
MASC
MCC
MEPP
MK
MTRE
MP
MIL
MDC
MAR
MEPI
MRCRE
MI
MT
MQADHAFI
MD
MAPS
MUCN
MASSMNUC
MERCOSUR
MC
ODIP
OIIP
OREP
OVIP
OEXC
OPRC
OFDP
OPDC
OTRA
OSCE
OAS
OPIC
OECD
OPCW
OSCI
OIE
OIC
OTR
OVP
OFFICIALS
OSAC
PGOV
PINR
PREL
PTER
PK
PHUM
PE
PARM
PBIO
PINS
PREF
PSOE
PBTS
PL
PHSA
PKFK
PO
PGOF
PROP
PA
PARMS
PORG
PM
PMIL
PTERE
POL
PF
PALESTINIAN
PY
PGGV
PNR
POV
PAK
PAO
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PRGOV
PNAT
PROV
PEL
PINF
PGOVE
POLINT
PRL
PRAM
PMAR
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PHUS
PHUMPREL
PG
POLITICS
PEPR
PSI
PINT
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PECON
POGOV
PINL
SCUL
SA
SY
SP
SNAR
SENV
SU
SW
SOCI
SL
SG
SMIG
SO
SF
SR
SN
SHUM
SZ
SYR
ST
SANC
SC
SAN
SIPRS
SK
SH
SI
SNARCS
STEINBERG
TX
TW
TU
TSPA
TH
TIP
TI
TS
TBIO
TRGY
TC
TR
TT
TERRORISM
TO
TFIN
TD
TSPL
TZ
TPHY
TK
TNGD
TINT
TRSY
TP
UK
UG
UP
UV
US
UN
UNSC
UNGA
USEU
USUN
UY
UZ
UNO
UNMIK
UNESCO
UE
UAE
UNEP
USTR
UNHCR
UNDP
UNHRC
USAID
UNCHS
UNAUS
UNCHC
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 20:08 | 2010-12-15 07:07 | 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