Sandro Cipriano

Sandro Cipriano, teacher and youth and LGTBIQ+ rights defender, was reported missing on Thursday, June 27, 2019. His body was found on Saturday, June 29, showing advanced signs of decomposition with a shot to the head and a stab wound. Additionally, his eyes were missing.

Sandro was a teacher and director at Serviço de Tecnologia Alternativa (Serta), an NGO dedicated to achieve economic, social, environmental, cultural and political through education. Sandro was in charge of the “Human Rights Education” module of the technical course in Agroecology, where he taught young people, other teachers and family farmers.

Sandro was on the national directive board of the NGO Associação Brasileira de ONGs (Abong). He was deeply committed to various initiatives in Pernambuco aimed at achieving sustainable development in the field.

Also known for his defence and promotion of the rights of youth, Sandro had previously worked as a national youth counsellor (Conjuve) and a state counsellor for youth related public policies in Pernambuco.

Sandro was a coordinator in Grupo Sete Cores, organization dedicated to help develop and implement LGBTQI+ related public policies.


If you would like to provide a personal recollection, please email us at: HRDMemorial@frontlinedefenders.org

Region:Americas

Country:Brazil

Department/Province/State:Pernambuco

Nickname:Sandro do Serta

Sex1:Male

Age:36

Date of Killing:27/06/2019

Previous Threats:No information

Gender component to killing:Evidence of gender-based and/or sexual violence

Type of Work:Teacher

Organisation:Serviço de Tecnologia Alternativa (Serta); Associação Brasileira de ONGs (Abong); Grupo Sete Cores

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:Civil and Political Rights, ESC Rights

Sector Detail:Environmental Rights, LGBTI, Peace Building, Peasant Communities

More information:Front Line Defenders

1This database records an individual's chosen gender identity. If they do not self-identify as male or female they can use the option of recording other/neither or use the term NBGI (non binary gender identity).