page_title: Sérgio Vieira de Mello
section_title: Death
hierarchical_section_title: Sérgio Vieira de Mello / Death
caption_attribution_description: English: US Army Colonel Richard Dillon, Head of USA Mortuary Affairs, and US Air Force Colonel Dennis Ployer, Commander, 447th Air Expeditionary Group (AEG), secure a United Nations Flag over the transfer casket of UN Chief Ambassador to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, prior to a memorial service at the Baghdad International Airport. Sergio Vieira de Mello was a victim of a suicide truck bombing at the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Coordinator in Baghdad, Iraq.
context_page_description: Sérgio Vieira de Mello was a Brazilian United Nations diplomat who worked on several UN humanitarian and political programs for over 34 years. The Government of Brazil posthumously awarded the Sergio Vieira de Mello Medal to honor his legacy in promoting sustainable peace, international security and better living conditions for individuals in situations of armed conflict, challenges to which Sergio Vieira de Mello had dedicated his life and career.
  He was killed in the Canal Hotel bombing in Iraq along with 20 other members of his staff on 19 August 2003 while working as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Nations Special Representative for Iraq. Before his death, he was considered a likely candidate for UN Secretary-General.
context_section_description: Vieira de Mello was working as United Nations Special Representative for Iraq when he was killed in the Canal Hotel bombing. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for the blast. A communiqué from al-Qaida said that de Mello was assassinated because he had helped East Timor become an independent state, thereby stealing territory from the Islamic Caliphate.
  He had been mentioned in some circles as a suitable candidate for UN Secretary-General. His death was widely mourned, largely on account of his reputation for effectively working to promote peace. Despite his stated wishes to be buried in Rio de Janeiro, his hometown,the place he lived for 34 years, and where he was given a state funeral with full military honors that was attended by president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and other international dignitaries, his body was taken away from Brazil and he was buried at the Cimetière des Rois in Geneva, Switzerland. He was survived by his two sons, Adrien and Laurent.
caption: U.S. soldiers placing Vieira de Mello's casket into an SUV.
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "US Army (USA) Colonel (COL) Richard Dillon, Head of USA Mortuary Affairs, and US Air Force (USAF) COL Dennis Ployer, Commander, 447th Air Expeditionary Group (AEG), secure a United Nations (UN) Flag over the casket of UN Chief Ambassador to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, prior to a memorial service at the Baghdad International Airport. Sergio Vieira de Mello was a victim of a homicide truck bombing at the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Coordinator in Baghdad, Iraq, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "283", "Image YResolution": "283", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2003:11:28 09:13:06", "Image Artist": "MSGT ROBERT R. HARGREAVES, USAF", "Image ExifOffset": "720", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "858", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5348", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2832", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1888"}