Brazilian Social Leader and 'Defender of Life' Dies

Brazilian social leader, Dilma Ferreira Silva, and other activists were killed Friday in the rural Parana, Brazil, the Movement of the Affected by Dams (MAB), an organization which fights for water and electricity rights for the public, reports.

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Ferreira, together with two male activists, one of whom was her partner were killed in the Salvador Allende settlement rural area of Baiao municipality, although the "MAB is still uncertain about the reasons for the crime," the organization said.

Former President Dilma Rousseff issued a statement entitled: "The Assassination of a Defender of Life," in which she wrote, "Dilma Ferreira Silva and her relatives are the new victims of violence in the countryside, authorized by the hate speech and the neglect of the current (Bolsonaro) government."

Ferreira Silva was an activist in the MAB for over 30 years, "since (the construction of) a dam destroyed the city in which she lived," during the Brazilian military dictatorship in 1974. According to the MAB official site, "Dilma saw her city flooded with the opening of the floodgates and experienced total neglect in the repair process. After 30 years since the beginning of the work, there was no compensation to those affected."

According to Civil Police, the husband of Ferreira, Claudionor Costa da Silva, 42, and Hilton Lopes, 38, were also killed. The police force is investigating and the motivation for the crime is still unknown.

After the denunciation made by the MAB, Workers Party's (PT) lawmaker and chairman of the Human Rights and Minorities Commission of the Brazilian Lower Chamber (CDHM), Helder Solomon, urged authorities to take action as soon as possible to investigate the murder.

"Considering the preliminary information, we can say that possibly crimes are a reaction to the struggle of these people for human rights," said the PT lawmaker.

Former President Rousseff stated that this "is another sad moment in the history of the MAB, which just today celebrated the 'International Day of Water.' As its militants say, "water is for life, not for death!'"