Word: xapury
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...western frontier has regained its reputation for lawlessness. Despite repeated warnings that lax security made a jailbreak all but inevitable, state and federal government officials paid no attention. Once again, rubber tappers fear more violence. "This place could turn into a war zone," warned Gumercindo Rodrigues of the Xapuri Rural Workers' Union. Inundated with protests from environmental groups, the Brazilian government vowed to recapture the gunmen. "They'll never find them," predicted Mendes' widow Ilzamar, who accused local authorities of complicity in the escape. A police manhunt has so far failed to turn up any sign of the fugitives...
...stunning admission came as Darci Alves da Silva, 23, and his rancher father, Darly Alves da Silva, 54, went on trial in the Amazonian town of Xapuri last week for the murder of Francisco ("Chico") Mendes, the Brazilian rubber tapper and defender of the rain forests who became an environmental martyr after a single shotgun blast killed him in 1988. Asked by the judge if he "carried out" the murder, Darci answered, "I confirm...
Meanwhile, justice has moved relatively slowly in Xapuri. Though the Da Silvas were arrested within weeks of the murder, the case was delayed as the defense made a variety of motions and investigators questioned more than 50 people, accumulating some 2,200 pages of statements. Almost all those involved in the case -- including the judge, Mendes family members, seringueiro leaders, the lawyers and the Da Silvas -- have received death threats...
...jury does not find them guilty," says Marcio Thomaz Bastos, the chief prosecutor. Defense lawyer Joao Lucena Leal considers acquittal so unlikely that he is preparing an appeal. "It is going to be impossible to have a fair trial," Leal says. "With the eyes of the world on Xapuri, what you are going to witness is two men who had nothing to do with the killing being sacrificed." If convicted, the Da Silvas could receive sentences of 12 to 30 years...
Whatever happens, Mendes' message did not go unheard. One of his aims was to create reserves in which rubber tappers and Indians could live off the land without destroying the forest. Earlier this year, Brazil created its first such refuge, named after Mendes, in the Jurua River valley near Xapuri. Since then, the government has established three more. In those areas at least, the people of the Amazon have a better chance to survive, thanks to Chico Mendes...