Almir Surui

Rainforest Defender - standing up for human rights

Almir Surui, chief of the Surui tribe in the western Brazilian state of Rondonia, is only 32, but for the past 15 years, he has been fighting increasingly dangerous loggers to save the rain forest and his tribe's way of life. During the past five years, 11 tribal chiefs have been murdered there, allegedly by orders of the powerful loggers and miners they have opposed.

But Almir, the first member of his tribe to attend university, is undeterred. Despite a reported $100,000 bounty on his life, he continues to block illegal logging roads with chains, and organizes other chiefs to fight the destruction of his tribe's native habitat. He is currently ethnomapping his tribe's history, traditions and landscape, a project that could be an important step to documenting and preserving a way of life, while helping to insure the survival of Brazil' unique rain forest.

Standing up for the principles of the Universal Declaration
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that "all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights." Article 2 stresses that everyone is "entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, regardless of their background, gender or status." Article 7 provides equality and equal protection against discrimination before the law.

Learn more:
>>Smithsonian.com: 'Rain Forest Rebel'
>>Amazon Conservation Team

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