Who killed Zé Cláudio Ribeiro and Maria do Espirito Santo? A recent episode of VICE's "Toxic" series explores the brutal murder of the married anti-logging activists on May 24, 2011, and the current unrest in the Brazilian rainforest.
VICE traveled to the couple's hometown of Marabá in the Brazilian state of Pará a month after they were murdered and the Brazilian government eased restrictions on logging, according to a press release.
The Associated Press reports that around the same time as Zé Cláudio and Maria's deaths, two other rural activists were murdered. They are a few of over 1,150 rural activists that have been murdered in Brazil in the last two decades.
These murders are reportedly conducted by hired gunman, who are helping "loggers, ranchers and farmers to silence protest over the illegal cutting of forests," according to AP. In May, the Brazilian government announced that it would increase policing in rural Amazon areas to protect activists.
Despite over 1,000 killings, less than 100 cases have been brought to court and only about 80 gunmen have been conducted.
Murder is isn't exclusive to rural areas in Brazil, however. A television network cameraman was shot and killed this month while covering an armed confrontation between police and drug traffickers in a shantytown of Rio de Janeiro.