Maria José Amorim Silva Lima, 49, was a leader of Associação dos Trabalhadores Rurais do Povoado Belo Monte 3, who devoted her life to the struggle for land rights in the state of Maranhão, Brazil.
She was shot dead on July 10, 2014, at her home, when gunmen attacked her during daylight.
According to information from Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT) the region has been in conflict since 2005. At the time of the report, there were lands which should have been granted to the families, however this didn’t happen.
Additionally, because of several improvements around the region (Belo Monte 3), the land is overvalued, the reason why the conflicts have increased.