In May 2000, Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action on behalf of Valdenia Aparecida Paulino, a Brazilian lawyer who was facing threats and intimidation in her attempts to uncover the truth behind the suspected extrajudicial execution of two men by military police. In the Urgent Action, we also asked for copies of appeals to be sent to the family of one of the men, Jose Nunes da Silva, who lived in one of the favelas (shanty-towns) which surround Sao Paulo. Earlier this year, Valdenia Aparecida Paulino spoke to AI about the impact of the UA.