Rural leader named by murdered Amazon nun Dorothy Stang attends agribusiness barbecue at COP30
Silvério Fernandes, who was accused of threatening the American missionary before her murder in the Brazilian Amazon in 2005, moved easily among prominent ruralists during a barbecue at the Agrizone at COP30 on Monday night.
By Daniel Camargos and Hélen Freitas
BELÉM, Brazil – Smoke from a simple grill filled the enclosed hall of Agrizone, where men—mostly white and many with hats—held paper boxes of picanha steak, rice and beans, flour, and vinaigrette. Among them was the straw-hatted Silvério Fernandes, a logger long linked to agrarian disputes in Anapu and Altamira, in Pará’s Xingu Valley.
On Monday evening (Nov. 17), Silvério sat in the front row during a ceremony held before a barbecue hosted by Abiec (Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries), part of Sustainable Livestock Day at Agrizone—the official agribusiness pavilion for COP30. Afterwards, he mingled with leaders, politicians, and executives.
In 2002, three years before US missionary Dorothy Stang was killed, Silvério allegedly threatened her by offering a ride and warning that if anyone invaded his property, “there would be blood up to his shins”.
Dorothy reported the incident to the Federal Police. After her murder, the convicted gunman, Regivaldo Pereira Galvão—known as Taradão—hid at the farm owned by Délio Fernandes, Silvério’s brother. Délio was investigated as a possible mastermind but never faced trial. Silvério was also never held accountable.
On Monday night, Silvério mingled with several prominent ruralists, including Carlos Xavier, president of the Federal of Agriculture and Livestock of Pará (Faepa), and Gedeão Pereira, vice-president of the National Rural Learning Service (CNA).
Two state agricultural inspectors dined at a table at the event as Brazil’s Agriculture Minister, Carlos Fávaro, stopped by briefly. “Today is a day for relaxation,” he said, holding a beer and declining interviews.
On stage, The Fruits of Our Land—a band of five older men—played Brazilian classics. As they performed The Drunkard and the Tightrope Walker, a song evoking victims of the dictatorship, guests ate and drank in a convivial atmosphere.
During a 2018 phone interview, Silvério threatened a reporter with an intimidating tone, expressing a desire to “look the reporter in the eye.” When asked if that was a threat, he replied: “What threat? Fuck you, boy.”
On Tuesday (Nov. 18), Repórter Brasil contacted Faepa’s press office, where Silvério serves as fiscal advisor and regional coordinator in the Transamazônica area—seeking comment on his participation in the “sustainable barbecue” and his record in agrarian conflicts. As of press time, no response was received.
This report also tried reaching his brother, Délio Fernandes, but received no reply. Given past threats, Repórter Brasil chose not to approach Silvério directly during the event.
Who is Silvério Fernandes?
For over twenty years, Silvério has been implicated in land disputes and accused of threatening and intimidating rural workers and land reform advocates. In 2018, he led efforts that led to the arrest of Father José Amaro, Dorothy’s successor in Anapu.
He faced charges of gang activity, extortion, and land invasion—allegations he denied and of which he was ultimately acquitted. During that time, Silvério was president of the Rural Union of Anapu, served as deputy mayor of Altamira, ran for state representative, and campaigned for Jair Bolsonaro, who filmed a video endorsing him.
Silvério’s intimidation escalated after the death of his brother Luciano Fernandes in May 2018. Soon after, he appeared in a video in a bloodstained shirt blaming land invaders, though investigations found the killing occurred during violent logging disputes.
His support for Bolsonaro was evident in July 2018, at Curva do S, a notorious stretch of the BR-155 highway and site of the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre. Before Bolsonaro publicly backed police convicted of killing 19 landless workers, armed ruralist leaders including Luiz Antonio Nabhan Garcia, then head of the Rural Democratic Union, occupied the event’s stage. That day, Silvério also stood atop the truck-top stage with those leaders.
Silvério also joined the protest that disrupted the opening of the “Amazon, Center of the World” conference in November 2019 at the Federal University of Pará in Altamira. The academic event focused on deforestation, major infrastructure projects, fires, and climate change.
The auditorium was full when ruralists, including Silvério, marched toward the panel and insisted the National Anthem be played before presentations, prompting shoving matches with Indigenous people, riverside community members, farmers, and activists. The situation required an intervention by Military and Federal Police.
Silvério now serves as Faepa’s fiscal advisor and coordinates the Transamazônica regional center, uniting unions from Altamira, Anapu, Brasil Novo, Medicilândia, Pacajá, Placas, Senador José Porfírio, Uruará, and Vitória do Xingu.
This report was produced by Repórter Brasil as part of the Collaborative Socio-Environmental Coverage of COP30. Read the original Portuguese report here.
