Ambrosio Vilhalva, Indigenous Land Rights Activist and Movie Star from Brazil, Portrait 25

Acrylic on canvas by Liz Peterson
Original photograph © Survival International

Ambrosio Vilhalva was a leader of one of the few remaining tribes of indigenous Guarani in Southern Brazil. Mr. Vilhalva was leading the charge among his people to take back the ancestral land that had been forcibly taken from them decades ago by powerful ranchers. During this massive displacement that took place around the mid-century, approximately fifty thousand Guarani were forced into cramped refugee settlements with no land and a loss of their entire livelihood. The loss of their homeland, which they refer to as "tekoha," has taken a huge toll on the population of Guarani - they are often forced to take low-paying jobs with the ranchers or farmers that have taken their land. The suicide rate among them is one of the highest in the world. 

Though Mr. Vilhalva may not have identified as an environmentalist, his advocacy for the rights of the Guarani aligns with efforts to protect the lands they claim as home, and he was an outspoken critic of the clearing of the land for use as a sugarcane plantation. The forced removal of indigenous people from their ancestral lands closely corresponds with massive ecological abuse, as the lands are usually seized for use of their natural resources. 

Vilhalva attempted to get government assistance in reclaiming the lands that had been taken from his tribe by ranchers in the 1950s, but a lethargic response led him to take matters into his own hands. In 2004, he led his people into a small plot of land on their stolen tekoha, where they squatted among the sugar cane crops and stayed in spite of constant threats and harassment. 

In 2008, Vilhalva became an internationally known film star after the release of the Marco Bechis film "Birdwatchers," in which he played the main character. The film was a fictional account of the struggle between the Guarani and landowners that came after and it starred many members of his tribe. Vilhalva felt that the movie would help people understand their plight. After five years of activism, the Guarani were finally recognized as the rightful owners of the land by the Minister of Justice in 2009, though this designation did nothing to stop the ranchers from using the land and threatening the Guarani settlement. 

In December of 2013, Valhalva was stabbed to death in his home. Police detained Vilhalva's father-in-law as the main suspect in his murder, though he has denied any involvement. Others in his community suspect that his death was the result of his activism, as he was receiving death threats from ranchers disputing the Guarani's right to the land. 

Sources:

http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/9826

http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/9797

http://www.news.com.au/world/south-american-indian-activist-ambrosio-vilhalva-has-been-murdered/story-fndir2ev-1226774711288

Trailer for "Birdwatchers"

A word about Chico Mendes

The Light the Land project focuses on environmental or land rights activists who have been killed in the past decade. Several people have asked if I planned to complete a portrait of Chico Mendes, a rights activist for rubber tappers of the Amazon and rainforest defender called the Patron of the Brazilian Environment by the government. Mr. Mendes was killed by a rancher in 1988 and his life and work helped inspire a movement within Brazil to establish more protections for the Amazon. Though I am not doing a rendering of Mr. Mendes for the site as he was not killed in the past decade, I would like to share a number of other portraits that have been done by artists worldwide in admiration for his life and work.

Please take a moment to click the name of the artist to go their webpage, and read the source material below for more of Chico Mendes' story and the current state of affairs for the rubber tappers of the Amazon.

Close up of Chico Mendes portrait from "I MARTIRI, Angelo Vassallo e Chico Mendes"
by Italian artist Sergio Michellini

Portrait of Chico Mendes by U.S. artist Jacqueline Bishop

Chico Mendes by U.S. artist Erin Currier

Chico Mendes by Brazilian cartoonist Marcio Liete

Articles about Chico Mendes:

"Brazil Salutes Chico Mendes 25 years after his murder," The Guardian, 2013

Website for the Chico Vive conference held in April 2014

The Life and Legacy of Chico Mendes, BBC, 2008

Leonardo Co, Botanist and Native Plant Conservationist in the Philippines, Portrait 24

Portrait using marker and flowers (unfinished) by Liz Peterson
Original Photograph: Oda S. Beltran

Leonardo Co was an esteemed botanist with a wide-ranging knowledge of the native plants of the Philippines. He was also passionate about their preservation and in 2007 founded the Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society. Co was heavily involved in a research project to track biodiversity in Palanan, Isabela in partnership with the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University and Smithsonian Tropical Research Center and was instrumental in categorizing the medicinal plants of the islands. He was much beloved as a mentor who freely shared his knowledge with a great deal of enthusiasm. A statement by the group after his death said Co "would expound on the complex interrelationships between one living thing to another; He possessed firsthand knowledge that can never be found in any literature." Co was so respected for his expertise that one of the most extraordinary plants endemic to the Philipphines was named after him, the Rafflesia leonardi.

On November 15, 2010, while conducting field research in Leyte, Co was shot and killed by the Philippine army, along with forest guard Sofronio Cortez and guide Julius Borromeo. The army dubbed the event an accident and said that Co and his group were caught in a crossfire between the army and rebel forces inhabiting the area. This interpretation of events has been disputed by the two surviving witnesses who said the Philippine soldiers were the only ones to fire shots. 

photo of Leonardo Co with his namesake plant, Rafflesia leonardi

Sources:

http://www.cecphils.org/node/179

http://pinoyweekly.org/new/2010/11/remembering-leonard-co/

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/56126/troops-to-be-charged-with-homicide-for-deaths-of-botanist-leonard-co-2-others

https://sites.google.com/a/agham.org/justice-for-leonard-co/

Nisar Baloch, Land Rights and National Park Advocate in Pakistan, Portrait 23

digital copy of Karachi City resolution regarding land rights and marker drawing by Liz Peterson
Original Images: Citizens of Pakistan

Nisar Baloch was a teacher who once offered free computer classes to young people in Karachi. Baloch was also an environmentalist and human rights activist who was very vocal in efforts to protect the Gutter Baghicha. Gutter Baghicha is an area of the city of Karachi that was supposed to be set aside for the public amenities and creation of a National Park, but had been encroached upon by various ehnic groups with the aid of corrupt government since the 1950s. Baloch was particularly adamant that land being developed within the acreage set aside for the National Park be returned to the public. These houses were being constructed on what Baloch deemed illegal and phony city ordinances in which development proceeded with the aid of armed officers on site. Under the organization of the NGO Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment, Baloch fought against these advances in spite of arrests and threats. During a press conference the day before his death, Baloch stated he feared he might be murdered by Izhar Uddin, a local city official.

In 2009, Nisar Baloch was shot and killed by a man on a motorbike. A year later, the activist who replaced his position with CBE, Nadir Baloch, was also shot. Neither of the murders have been investigated fully or prosecuted. Nisar Baloch was married and had one adopted child. 

Sources:

Tribute to Nisar Baloch
Suggestions for Land Use of Gutter Baghicha by the Citizens for a Better Environment
Who was Nisar Baloch?
Events Leading to the Murder of Nisar Baloch - A Shehri Activist

140 Virunga Park Rangers, Land and Wildlife Protectors, Democratic Republic of the Congo - Portrait 22

digital representation of the number of park rangers killed
at Virunga National Park since 1996

Virunga National Park is the deadliest place in the world for park rangers - 140 rangers have been killed since 1996 while working to protect the park. It is also the most biodiverse protected park in the world, with more than 1000 known animal species, including one of the last remaining groups of mountain gorillas. In spite of the dangers, the park staff at Virunga have remained dedicated to the ongoing preservation of Virunga. The population of mountain gorillas has nearly doubled since the 1980s, thanks in large part to the dedication and bravery of its rangers. 

Much of the violence to rangers is due to the ongoing conflict in areas near its borders. Virunga is vast with over two million acres of land, so it is very difficult to patrol. The park has become a refuge for armed militants engaged in local civil wars as well as poachers of bushmeat, and on one occasion was entirely in the hands of rebel forces who had evicted all of the park staff. 

Some park conservationists have recently received death threats for opposing oil drilling efforts in Virunga. Last month, park warden Emmanuel de Merode was the victim of an assassination attempt which may have been related to his efforts to prevent the oil drilling. UK based Soco International LLC is currently prospecting for oil near Lake Edward in spite of opposition by many international environmental groups concerned over the impact of drilling in the park (as noted in the Guardian's news brief below, Soco itself is not responsible for the threats or assassination attempt)

Virunga Park Ranger sits with an orphaned gorilla after
its parents were killed by poachers (Photo: Phil Moore/AFP/Getty Images)

Sources:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140416-emmanuel-de-merode-warden-shot-virunga-congo/

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/photos-gorilla-orphan-park-ranger-share-a-touching-moment

http://ens-newswire.com/2012/10/25/eight-dead-in-attack-on-virunga-national-park-rangers/

Mario Guifarro, Rainforest Conservationist in Honduras - Portrait 21

Charcoal drawing by Liz Peterson

Mario Guifarro was well known in his local area for his expertise of the Moskitia wilderness in eastern Honduras.  He was a skilled tracker who was invaluable, as he knew several languages of the local indigenous groups, and was also knowledgable about native plant uses and the lay of the land. His devotion to rainforest conservation began in a counterintuitive way - he was once a hunter and gold-miner, but turned to forest preservation as he began to witness firsthand the rapid destruction of his outdoor playground. It is said he rarely ventured out without his pistol and his guitar.

Guifarro was leading an expedition to map out the vast rainforest wilderness of the Tawahka Asongni Biosphere Reserve as a way to prevent illegal logging in the forest. Unfortunately, news of the mission spread and he was threatened often by the logging companies. In Sept. of 2007, Guifarro and his son Shamir broke off from their group to speak with a group of villagers about working for them. They were interrupted by two smiling men who asked Guifarro to play a song for them, after which one of the men shot him to death. His son Shamir was able to escape, but was murdered in a very similar fashion nine months later.

In 2013, biologists discovered a new species of snake in the rainforest of Eastern Honduras and named it after Guifarro to recognize his contribution to conservation and bravery in the face of intimidation. The snake is a poisonous bright-green palm pit-viper now known as Bothreichus guifarroi.

There is an excellent description of Guifarro and overview of the ongoing environmental struggle in Honduras by Jeremy Kryt in the Earth Island Journal. 

Sources:

http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/eij/article/the_last_song_of_mario_guifarro

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20130415001140data_trunc_sys.shtml

Valmir de Mota Oliviera, Land Reform and Anti-GMO Activist in Brazil - Portrait 20

Pencil on paper by Jake Willoughby, age 11

Valmir de Mota Oliviera, also known as "Keno," was an active leader in two agrarian reform organizations that organize and campaign for the rights of landless workers and peasants in Brazil. One of the groups that he worked with, Via Campesina, was protesting the presence of a GMO test site established by transnational corporation Syngenta, which the protestors felt had unlawfully encroached upon the protected area near the Iguazu River. 

In October of 2007, Oliviera, along with approximately 200 other activists, staged a peaceful protest at Syngenta's test site  in the Parana state of Brazil. During their protest, a bus full of approximately 40 armed security guards arrived and opened fire on the protestors, killing Oliviera and wounding six others. The guards were employed by a company hired by Syngenta for security. Syngenta has declared that they had no involvement in the attack and that the security personnel are not permitted to be armed. However, several members of Via Campesina had filed police reports regarding Syngenta's security company carrying arms and threatening their lives. Oliviera had also reported receiving death threats. 

Oliviera had three children.

Sources:

http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1215

http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/biodiversity-and-genetic-resources-mainmenu-37/441-syngenta-murder-and-private-militias-in-brazil

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/200711/partner_killed.aspx

http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8593

Leonard Saleo, Conservationist in Indonesia - Portrait 19

Pencil and digital by John Cleveland Sherman III

Leonard Saleo, known as "Pak Leo,"was a conservationist in Indonesia who used his influence as a traditional leader of the Batanta people to organize patrols to reduce the incidence of dynamite bomb fishing. He was also working for Conservation International as the head of the Dayan Field Station. 

March 1, 2010, Pak Leo was killed by illegal loggers during a confrontation. He was awarded CI's Conservation Warrior award posthumously. 



Sources:

http://magazine.conservation.org/online/07/#page06

Sandra Viviana Cuellar Gallego, Water Quality and Community Activist in Colombia - Portrait 18

Rough draft gouache painting by Liz Peterson

Sandra Viviana Cuellar Gallego has been missing since February of 2011. She was a 26 year-old environmental engineer, teacher and activist who advocated for the rights of the local community to have a voice in the decisions affecting their environment and livelihood. She was passionate about water quality and wetland issues. She was working with Friends of the Earth Colombia at the time of her disappearance. 

Sandra Viviana's cell phone and identity documents were found near a bus stop that she was to take to give a talk at the National University of Colombia. Her family and many international groups have appealed the Colombian government to investigate her disappearance thoroughly, but there has been no progress in the search for her. Colombia has the worst record in the world for forced disappearances, according to a report by the Latin America Working Group Education Fund, with over 50,000 people being registered as missing. 


Sources:


http://english.pravda.ru/history/09-03-2011/117139-Colombia_Sandra_Viviana_still_missing-0/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqXi938zYfM

http://www.usofficeoncolombia.org/docs/breaking-the-silence/press-release-forced-disappearance-report-final.pdf

Juvy, Jordan and Jhon Capion, Anti-mining Activist in the Philippines - portrait 17

Portrait in progress, pencil and copper paint on paper

Juvy Capion was one of the leaders of an organization fighting for the rights of the B'laan people in the Philippines to prevent mining on their ancestral lands. Sagittarius Mines, Inc (SMI), owned by swiss-operated X-strata, is the owner of the Tambakan gold and copper project. There have been many conflicts with the local tribes over the legality and ethics of their developments. According to statements by Mrs. Capion before her death, SMI did not fairly obtain consent for the development of the land for the Tambakan mine, but instead obtained the signatures from fake "leaders" of the tribe who were asked to sign a sheet of paper to be given a free lunch. 

Capion's husband Daguil, was leading a resistance to SMI and was a wanted fugitive at the time of his wife's death. 

In October of 2012, Juvy Capion and two of her children, Jordan (age 15) and Jhon (age 7) were killed when the Philippine army stormed their house. The soldiers allege that they were searching for Daguil Capion as they had a warrant for his arrest, and that they were fired upon when they arrived at the house. Other witnesses to the encounter said that Juvy and her sons were shot as they were sleeping and that Daguil was no where near the home at the time. No charges have been filed against the soldiers as the Philippine government has declared that the incident was the result of a legitimate effort to capture Daguil Capion. 

According to a recent Al Jazeera article, there have been 67 murders of environmental activists in the Philippines and only 2 suspects have been charged. 

Sources:


http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/04/filipino-eco-warriors-losing-battle-philippines-2014415125912780562.html

http://www.rappler.com/nation/14418-anti-mining-tribe-leader’s-wife,-2-sons-killed-in-‘encounter’

http://www.nordis.net/?p=14075

http://www.rappler.com/business/special-report/whymining/whymining-latest-stories/141-no2mining/2065-mining-is-a-social-justice-issue

Volodymyr Honcharenko, Anti-Pollution Educator in the Ukraine - Portrait 16

charcoal and gouache on watercolor paper by Liz Peterson

Volodymyr Honcharenko wanted to educate and protect the Ukrainian citizens from environmental hazards. He was a scientist who helped compile reports for one of the few sources of data on nuclear contamination and safety of drinking reservoirs in the country, and was the head of an NGO called "For Citizen's Right to a Safe Environment". In September of 2012, Honcharenko gave a press conference to inform the public about a "chemical time bomb" of toxic metal waste being held in the Kryvyi district. The massive metal stockpile contained scrap once used in the production of a pesticide hexachlorobenzene, which was banned in the 60s after it was found to cause liver damage and other serious health problems. He was concerned that the waste metal would be cut and mixed with other metals and reused, and also that the location in which they were cutting the metal was very close to the drinking reservoir for a city. 

Four days after Mr. Honcharenko went public with these concerns, a group of men blocked his vehicle and then pulled him out and brutally attacked him. He died three days later on Aug. 3, 2012. Several of his friends had reported that Honcharenko was receiving threats leading up to his death, and are convinced that his activism was the reason he was targeted. Since his death, the pile of metal has disappeared from its previous location and no progress has been made in finding his murderers .


Sources:

http://www.khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1344161969
http://www.khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1344173215
http://www.khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1364160190

Sister Dorothy Stang, Rainforest Protector in Brazil - Portrait 15

Portrait made with pastel, paint and photoshop by Lucy Grady, age 12

Sister Dorothy Stang was an american-born nun and member of the congregation of Notre Dame de Namur. She was murdered in the state of Para, Brazil, in 2005. Sister Dorothy was very outspoken about protecting the rights of the poor and preventing the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Her congregation's website has a beautiful write-up of Sister Dorothy's life and work, and includes many links to current news and initiatives to help the poor and the environment in Brazil. 

Here is the summary from their website:

"Sister Dorothy, 73, was born in Dayton, Ohio, one of nine children. She was raised on a farm in a traditional Catholic family. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur community in 1948 and professed final vows in 1956. From 1951 to 1966 she taught elementary classes at St. Victor School in Calumet City, IL, St. Alexander School in Villa Park, IL and Most Holy Trinity School in Phoenix, Az. She began her ministry in Brazil in 1966, in Coroata in the state of Maranhao. 

A citizen of Brazil and the United States, Sister Dorothy worked with the Pastoral Land Commission, an organization of the Catholic Church that fights for the rights of rural workers and peasants, and defends land reforms in Brazil. Her death came less than a week after meeting with the country's human rights officials about threats to local farmers from loggers and landowners. 

Before her murder, Sister Dorothy was named 'Woman of the Year' by the state of Para for her work in the Amazon region. She also received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Brazilian Bar Association for her work helping the local rural workers. 

Since her death, Sister Dorothy has been widely honored for her life and work by the United States Congress and by a number of colleges and universities across the United States. She was posthumously awarded the 2008 United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. Books, movies, documentaries and an opera have been developed about her. And she was formally recognized by the Vatican as a modern day martyr."

Sources:

About Dorothy Stang from the Notre Dame de Damur website

http://www.theykilledsisterdorothy.com

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0215-03.htm

Amit Jethwa, Voice for the Gir National Forest in India - Portrait 14

Watercolor gouache and marker by Liz Peterson - this is a draft and study for larger painting

It is difficult to fully summarize the accomplishments of Amit Jethwa, a skilled advocate for the nature and community of Gujarat in western India. Jethwa began his career as a pharmacist and later became a social worker helping communities organize against abuses by helping them understand and use the RTI (Right to Information Act). He also founded the Gir Youth Nature club which monitored illegal activities against wildlife in the area, particularly the poaching of asiatic lions in Gir National Forest and the illegal hunting of sea turtles along the coast. His vigilance in asking questions about the suspicious deaths of lions in the park helped reveal an undercover lion poaching gang operating in collusion with some park officials. Jethwa was also an instrumental figure in the prosecution of a famous bollywood actor, Salman Khan, after Khan illegally killed an endangered animal, a chinkara deer. 

In 2008, Jethwa began to use the RTI act to expose illegal mining operations in a protected area near the Gir Forest. Based on information he found, he filed a public interest lawsuit against the mining efforts and named one particular government official, Dinu Solanki, as respondent in the case. He aimed to get the court's backing to cut off the power supply to the mining operations. In the midst of his activism against Solanki's illegal mining activities, Jethwa was threatened on several occasions by Solanki, and had sought an order of protection by the police, saying he believed that Solanki would try to have him killed. 

On July 20, 2010, two gunmen on motorcycles shot and killed Jethwa outside of the high court of Gujarat where he had been meeting with his lawyer. The two men, Pachan Silva and Shailesh Pandya, escaped but were soon found, and initial investigations revealed that the two men were hired by a constable of Solanki's nephew, Shiva Solanki. The police ruled out the possibility of Dinu Solanki being involved in the crime, in spite of the fact that Solanki and his nephew lived together at the time. Jethwa's father appealed to have Dinu Solanki tried in September of 2012. Dinu Solanki was finally arrested by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) in 2013. 


Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/world/asia/23india.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://amitjethwa.blogspot.com

http://amitjethwa.blogspot.com/2010/11/biography-of-activist.html

Ketheeswaran Thevaraja, Anti Sand Mining activist in Sri Lanka, Portrait 13

Today's "portrait" is a short sequence of Thevaraja's pictures by my 14 year-old son, Ben, whose preferred media is filmmaking. The song was chosen to honor Thevaraja who is wearing a John Lennon shirt in his photos. 

In late 2010, a young postal worker and environmentalist named Ketheeswaran Thevaraja led a social media campaign to reveal the illegal destruction of the sand dunes of Vadamaraadchi in Sri Lanka. As indicated in his photos, the sand excavation in the area was damaging the ecosystem and creating sea water seepage and land loss in the nearby villages. The companies harvesting the sand were backed by the Sri Lankan military.  In addition to the Facebook posts, Thevaraja was working with Sri Lankan media outlets to expose the information, and it is believed that this is the reason he was killed. 

On new year's eve of 2010, several members of the S.R. paramilitary shot and killed Thevaraja in his home.

Sources:

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2012/01/brutal-murder-of-environmentalist-and.html

http://www.globaltamilnews.net/GTMNEditorial/tabid/71/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/76484/language/en-US/SL-military-backed-sand-mining-irreversibly-destroys-environment-in-Jaffna.aspx

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/forwarded-news/AHRC-FST-001-2011

Gerry "Doc" Ortega, Anti-Mining Activist, Crocodile Farmer and Vet in the Philippines - Portrait 12

Acrylic on paper - in progress painting by Liz Peterson

Gerry Ortega, aka "Doc," led a colorful life on the beautiful island of Palawan in the Philippines.  He was a veterinarian and crocodile farmer who directed the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center for many years. He was the project director of an eco-tourism company and helped establish many community-led sustainable tourist attractions, including snorkeling and firefly watching. He was also a radio journalist and politician who was very outspoken about corruption and environmental abuse on the island. His last effort to keep Palawan pristine was leading a signature campaign against mining on the island called "Ten Million Signatures for the banning of mining in Palawan." Those who knew him described him as boisterous, devout in his Roman Catholic faith, fun, and larger than life. He cared for his wife and five children, his community and the environment of Palawan with equal zeal. 

However, Doc Ortega made some powerful enemies in his expose of government corruption. He received multiple death threats due to the piercing allegations he often made during his radio program as well as his anti-mining stance. In January of 2011, Ortega was fatally shot outside of a thrift store by a gunman later identified as Marlon Recamata. Four other accomplices were either arrested or turned themselves in for planning and executing the murder. One of the suspects, Rodolfo O. Edrad Jr., implicated two powerful government officials as masterminds of the crime, former Palawan governer Mario Joel T. Reyes and his brother and former mayor, Mario T. Reyes. At the time of Ortega's death, he was in the process of investigating massive misappropriation of community funds from the Malampaya National Gas Project and many believe this was motive for his murder. The Reyes brothers fled the Philippines and are currently at large as a charges against them have been investigated and brought before the courts. 

Sources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Ortega

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/211377/news/nation/gerry-ortega-from-crocodile-hunter-to-hunted-crusader

https://www.facebook.com/justicefordocgerry

Josefina Reyes Salazar - Activist Against Nuclear Waste and Militarization, Portrait 11

Paint, marker and digital by Liz Peterson, draft work in progress

The Reyes Salazar family was well known in northern Mexico for their successful activism against a proposed nuclear dumping site in Sierra Blanco, Texas in the 90s. Several members of the family, including Josefina, organized a massive bi-national protest in which hundreds of Mexicans and Americans on both sides of the border walked for miles in protest. They managed to shut down the border in Juarez for an hour. The efforts worked and the plans were abandoned. They were also outspoken about the pollution of the water in Cuidad Juarez and the disposal of toxic waste.

In 2008, Josefina began to speak out against the militarization of the city of Cuidad Juarez in the nation's response to the drug war, in which citizens were routinely detained or "disappeared" without any formal allegation. Her own son, Miguel Angel, was taken by authorities and released soon after she began a hunger strike to protest his disappearance. Soon after, in November of 2008, her other son Julio Cesar, was shot and killed by a paramilitary group while he was attending a wedding. She continued to protest in spite of being arrested on one occasion and in spite of receiving countless death threats. In January 2010, she was gunned down near Cuidad Juarez. Family members suggest that her assailants were targeting her for her activism. According to one witness of the event, one of her killers said "you think you are tough because you are with the organizations."

The remaining members of the Reyes Salazar family have been systematically terrorized since Josefina's death as well. Her brother Ruben Salazar was murdered by "unknown assailants" in August. Her mother's house was set on fire. Her other sister Magdalena, and brother Elias and Elias's wife, Luisa Ornelas Soto were tortured and killed in February of 2011. One of the last remaining members of the Reyes Salazar family, Josefina's brother Saul, moved his family to Texas after being offered political asylum to escape the constant threat of death.

Sara Reyes Salazar with a portrait of her slain daughter, Josefina

Sources:

http://dawnpaley.ca/2013/04/19/blood-along-the-border-environmental-activism-and-violence-in-juarez-mexico/

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/mexico-archives-79/2934-the-reyes-salazar-family-and-the-hidden-toll-behind-mexicos-execution-meter

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/world/americas/26mexico.html

Zakaria Ibrahim, Brahim Khamis, Daoud Aldjouma, Djibrine Adoum Goudja and Idriss Adoum, Elephant Guardians in Chad - Portrait 10

Pencil and charcoal by Liz Peterson (draft for a painting)

In the early morning hours of September 2012, six guards in Zakouma National Park took a moment for their dawn prayers before heading out to do their job - protecting the few remaining elephants at the park from relentless poaching. But they didn't have the chance that day, as the group was ambushed and five of the men were shot and killed. One of the guards escaped and is presumed to be dead. Zakaria Ibrahim, Brahim Khamis, Daoud Aldjouma, Djibrine Adoum Goudja and Idriss Adoum were slaughtered in what may have been a revenge killing by the poachers due to a recent raid on a poaching camp. 

Demand for ivory is at an all-time high in spite of the increasingly aggressive efforts of NGOs and nations that have banned it's trade and sale. The elephant population of the Zakouma has dwindled greatly due to poaching - over 90% of the elephants in the herd have been killed in the past decade. 

Sources:

http://www.african-parks.org/Park_6_45_Achievements.html

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/09/28/elephant-guards-murdered-in-chad/

http://fightforrhinos.com/2013/02/14/wildlife-rangers-unsung-heroes-in-the-war-on-poaching/

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/01/05/world/africa/20130106_CHAD.html#1

Almir Nogueira de Amorim and Joao Luiz Telles Penetra, Advocates for Fishermens' Rights in Brazil, Portrait 9

Marker, digital by Lizzi Peterson

Almir Nogueira de Amorim and Joao Luiz Telles Penetra (also called "Pituca") were both fisherman in the Rio de Janeiro area and were leaders in a fisherman's alliance called AHOMAR (Association of Sea Men). AHOMAR advocates for the rights of fishermen against the negative impacts of pollution and gas pipeline construction in the Guanabara Bay in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

In June of 2012,  Amorim and Penetra presented a case against the activities of the oil companies in Rio at a People's Summit conference. They were leading an effort to prevent new construction by Brazil's largest energy company, Petrobas, which would have further  decimated the remaining fish population. Three days later, they were found dead, tied in rope and drowned in the waterway they struggled to protect. Two other prominent members of the AHOMAR group, Marcio Amaro and Paulo Cesar dos Santon Souza, were murdered prior to Amorim and Penetra (2009 and 2010).  None of these murders have been solved and are not under investigation. The present leader of the AHOMAR organization, Alexandre Anderson de Souza, has received countless death threats and is currently in hiding.

photo of Joao Luiz Telle Penetra

Sources:

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/23731

http://climate-connections.org/2012/06/29/rio20-breaking-news-activists-who-spoke-at-the-peoples-summit-killed/

http://www.foei.org/en/blog/denouncing-the-brutal-murder-of-two-fishermen-from-rio-de-janeiro

http://www.mattsandy.net/?p=1818

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/grisly_trend_green_activists_are_facing_deadly_dangers/2620/