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/