Luís Jorge Araújo was 56 years old when, on August 5, 2016, was caught by surprise by four armed men in his house, in the municipality of Wanderlândia, Tocantins.

The farmer defended the right to land of the community of landless rural workers who integrate the settlement of Boqueirão, belonging to the Union’s patrimony.

Badly injured after being shot, Luís was transferred to the Regional Hospital of Araguaína, where, unfortunately, passed away.

As the leader of a cause, Luís left behind many who looked up to him and the commotion led to heated protests. Members of the settlement of Boqueirão blocked the road TO-420, on the stretch between BR-153 and the municipality of Piraquê, setting fire to tires and branches of trees.

The suffering of these peoples is not recent. The fight for land is a constant reality for many rural workers in Brazil and, according to CPT (Comissão Pastoral da Terra), in 2016 alone, it originated 61 killings in the countryside.

On August 10 and 11 that same year, the indigenous women of the peoples Apinajé, Krahô, Xerente, Kanela do Tocantins, Karajá de Xambioá, together with representatives of the Quilombolas from the Quilombo Dona Jucelina, of the municipality of Muricilândia, gathered to discuss the attacks and threats taking place constantly in their territories.

On the document they released, they wrote: “We, indigenous women and quilombolas, are united to the pain and suffering of Mr. Luís Jorge Araújo’s family, member of the community of Boqueirão, municipality of Wanderlândia, who was killed by the greed and ambition of the agribusiness. We despise the death of that leader and of all those leaders that have been murdered due to the fight for land. We demand justice, the protection of the community and that all those guilty, are punished. We cannot accept such violence! We will continue to defend our rights and territories.”

Luís will be forever remembered as a community leader and a human rights defender.