An Irish missionary volunteer working for human rights in the Amazon jungle has been the victim of death threats. Ms Catherine Halvey, who works with Brazil's poor, indigenous people, received threatening phone calls and had the word "gun" spray-painted on her house.
The 52-year-old has been working in Manaus - capital of the Amazon - for the last decade. Four years ago, she set up the state's first Human Rights Centre aimed at educating the poverty-stricken local community in basic civil liberties.
Ms Halvey's problems started after she was contacted by a woman, Ms Maria do Rosario, who believed her teenage son had been shot dead by a policeman.
"The mother claimed that the police were trying to protect their own and cover up her son's death. She asked us to help bring the culprits to justice," she said. "Because she was unable to afford legal representation, our centre took on her case and that's when I started receiving the threats." Working with volunteer legal representatives, Ms Halvey contacted the police and asked to see the file on the teenager's death. She discovered the investigation had been shelved.
After persuading a friend of the dead boy to stand as a witness, she managed to kick-start the inquiry. "The friend was willing to give evidence to say that he had seen the policeman make death threats against the murdered teenager in the past," she said.
"But the night before he went to make a statement he was abducted, beaten up and threatened with death, which made him too afraid to speak out." After this, Ms Halvey began receiving a series of threats. A car with darkened windows would park outside her home at night; people would make obscene phone calls at all hours of the night and menacing graffiti was daubed on the walls of her home.
Then her guard dog was poisoned and she was left mysterious messages saying that she would also "die like the dog". For over a year the death threats kept coming. "I was quite terrified and continually reported what was going on to the police but no one did anything," she said. "A contact in the military later told me that he had heard that the group of policemen accused of killing the boy had hired a hit-man to eliminate me."
The Archdiocese of Manaus later made an official complaint to the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington that human rights defenders like Ms Halvey were being threatened and the local authorities were doing nothing to protect her.
"That really was the turning point," she said. "After this the OAS made their concerns known to the Brazilian Government who put pressure on the officials here." On advice, Ms Halvey moved into a safer neighbourhood. She installed security grates on the windows and built a wall around her new home.
"It has been an absolutely terrifying experience. Threatening behaviour from certain members of the police force is a regular occurrence here in Brazil and those most affected are the poor who cannot assert their basic rights as citizens," she said. "That's why our centre is trying to educate these people by telling them their rights and providing free legal representation.
Readers wishing to further the work of human rights in Amazonas should make donations to: Catherine Halvey, Allied Irish Bank, Tuam, Co Galway. Sort code: 93-71-50. Account number: 22147228. All donations will be forwarded to the Human Rights Centre, Manaus.