News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International
AI INDEX: AMR 19/003/2004 11 February 2004
Brazil: Amnesty International's statement on the latest public report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra Judicial and Summary Executions.
In light of the soaring numbers of homicides and police killings regularly
reported throughout Brazil Amnesty International notes with interest the
release today of the public report by the UN Special Rapporteur on
Extra-Judicial and Summary Execution following her visit to the country
last year.
In her report the Special Rapporteur details the widespread problem of
police killings, death squads, killings of land activists and deaths in
custody documented by her delegation during its visit to eight states
within the country.
The report, which states that the 'use of deadly police violence against
civilians is rife', is especially strong in its condemnation of the killing
of two witnesses interviewed by the UN Special Rapporteur during her visit.
The report reinforces many of the denunciations made by local human rights
defenders and Amnesty International over many years, including the lack of
independent oversight and investigation of the police, lack of independence
of the forensic medical institutes and the lack of greater investigation by
the public prosecutor's office among other things. As a result, the report
states that the 'problem of impunity is the result of the combined failure
of a number of Brazilian institutions' and subsequently identifies all
elements of the criminal justice system.
Amnesty International welcomes the openness with which the Brazilian
authorities invited the UN Special Rapporteur to visit the country. It now
falls upon both federal and state authorities to ensure that the
recommendations from this report, as with the many others previously made,
are promptly and effectively implemented to ensure the end to the killings
and that all Brazilians can have equal access to justice and protection by
the state.
This report will be formally presented to the 60th session of the UN
Commission on Human Rights where AI will be closely following the
presentation of all reports released by the special procedures.
For a full copy of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial and Summary
Execution, please see:
http://amnesty-news.c.tep1.com/maabWbLaa4jFhbdxUCdb/
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Amnesty International in Brazil, read more at
http://amnesty-news.c.tep1.com/maabWbLaa4jFibdxUCdb/
View all documents on Brazil at
http://amnesty-news.c.tep1.com/maabWbLaa4jFjbdxUCdb/
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