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Brazil UN: Mixed Results for New Review Process States Avoid Serious Discussion of Rights in Algeria, Tunisia The first session of the new country review mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council was undermined by inconsistencies and the timidity of some governments in reviewing others, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 18, 2008 the council concluded a two-week session in which it examined the records of 16 countries as part of the new Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. April 18, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Universal Periodic Review of Brazil Human Rights Watch's Submission to the Human Rights Council Police violence continues to be one of the country’s most intractable human rights problems. Faced with high levels of violent crime, especially in the country’s urban centers, some police engage in abusive practices rather than pursuing sound policing policies. Prison conditions are abysmal. In rural regions, violence and land conflicts are ongoing, and human rights defenders suffer threats and attacks. And, while the Brazilian government has made efforts to redress human rights abuses, it has rarely held accountable those responsible for the violations. April 7, 2008 Written Statement Printer friendly version Human Rights Council Begins Universal Periodic Review Will Assess India, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom and 12 Others The UN Human Rights Council will begin a new review process on April 7, 2008. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is the most innovative and ambitious instrument of the council and was set up to assess the human rights performance of all 192 UN member states over a four-year cycle. April 6, 2008 Memorandum Printer friendly version Brazil: Report on Past Atrocities a Key Step Forward A government report on hundreds of political killings and “disappearances” committed under Brazil’s military regime is an important step toward addressing years of official impunity, Human Rights Watch said today. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva presented the report on Wednesday at a ceremony with victims’ relatives in Brasilia. August 31, 2007 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Letter to Minister of Justice Tarso Genro I am writing to express our concern regarding the recent repatriation of Guillermo Rigondeaux and Erislandy Lara from Brazil back to their native Cuba. We are very concerned that Brazil did not take sufficient steps to ensure that Rigondeaux and Lara were afforded the legal protections they may have been entitled to as potential refugees. We urge you to investigate whether their rights were adequately protected while they were in Brazil, and to take steps to help ensure that their rights are not violated now that they are back in Cuba. August 10, 2007 Letter Also available in
Printer friendly version Brazil: Investigate Deaths in Rio Police Operation Police Accused of Summary Executions The government of Rio de Janeiro state must ensure a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation of the killing of unarmed individuals during recent clashes between criminal groups and police, Human Rights Watch said today. Anyone found to have unlawfully killed any of the victims should be prosecuted. June 29, 2007 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Investigate Deaths in Gang Violence Police Accused of Summary Executions The government of São Paulo state must ensure a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the 138 deaths reported in the recent clashes between criminal groups and the police, Human Rights Watch said today. Those found responsible should be prosecuted. May 18, 2006 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Prevent Intimidation of Rights Defenders São Paulo State Should Address Abuses in its Juvenile Detention Facilities The complaint filed with the police by São Paulo’s juvenile detention agency against a leading juvenile rights defender risks intimidating other rights defenders in the state, said Human Rights Watch in a letter to State Governor Cláudio Lembo today. May 11, 2006 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Letter to Governor Cláudio Lembo In a letter to State Governor Cláudio Lembo, Human Rights Watch expressed its concern regarding the complaint filed by Fundação Estadual para o Bem Estar do Menor (Febem) against Ms. Conceição Paganele, president and founder of Associação de Mães e Amigos de Adolescentes em Risco (Amar) and urged the state of São Paulo to address abuses in its juvenile detention facilities. May 11, 2006 Letter Also available in
Printer friendly version In the Dark: Hidden Abuses Against Detained Youths in Rio de Janeiro Beatings, Squalor Continue as Detention Centers Lack Effective Monitoring Incarcerated youth in Rio de Janeiro endure beatings by guards and other concealed abuses that go unpunished because state juvenile detention centers lack independent monitoring, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. June 9, 2005 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version In the Dark Hidden Abuses Against Detained Youths in Rio de Janeiro When Human Rights Watch last visited Rio de Janeiro’s five juvenile detention centers, in July and August 2003, we found a system that was decaying, filthy, and dangerously overcrowded. The facilities we saw did not meet basic standards of health or hygiene. Complaints of beatings and other ill-treatment were routinely ignored by the state’s Department of Socio-Educational Action (Departamento Geral de Ações Sócio-Educativas, DEGASE), the authority responsible for the state’s juvenile detention centers. The system lacked effective oversight; in particular, administrative sanctions against guards were rare, and none of the officials we spoke with knew of any case in which a guard had received a criminal conviction for abusive conduct. HRW Index No.: B1702 June 9, 2005 Report Also available in
Download PDF, 51 KB, 392 pgs Purchase online Printer friendly version Brazil: Riot in Rio Youth Detention Center Youths in a Rio de Janeiro detention center rioted yesterday after state officials failed to act promptly on warnings that critical shortages of staffing, food and clothing increased the risk of violent rebellion, Human Rights Watch said. March 28, 2005 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Brazil: Youths Abused in Rio’s Detention Centers Youths face abuse and inhumane conditions in Rio de Janeiro’s state juvenile detention centers, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. One year ago this week, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched a still-unfulfilled action plan to address children’s rights, including the needs of youths in detention. December 7, 2004 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version “Real Dungeons” Juvenile Detention in the State of Rio de Janeiro The 70-page report documents that youths in Rio de Janeiro’s detention centers are often beaten and verbally abused by guards. Most complaints of ill-treatment are never investigated by the state’s Department of Socio-Economic Action (Departamento Geral de Ações Sócio-Educativas, or DEGASE), the authority responsible for juvenile detention facilities. Administrative sanctions against guards are rare and usually take the form of transfers to other detention centers; no guard has ever faced criminal charges for abusive conduct. December 7, 2004 Report Also available in
Download PDF, 425 KB, 67 pgs Purchase online Brazil: Journalist’s Expulsion Undermines Free Expression Brazil’s decision to expel a New York Times correspondent for an article commenting on the president’s alleged drinking habit will tarnish the country’s long tradition of respect for free expression, Human Rights Watch said today. May 12, 2004 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Brazil: Lula Urged to Play Global Rights Role Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva should use his international standing to become a global champion of human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. February 10, 2004 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Letter to President Lula da Silva Dear Mr. President: I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch to discuss the role of human rights in Brazilian foreign policy. We would like to encourage you to ensure that Brazil plays a greater role in the promotion of human rights worldwide, particularly as it assumes a seat on the U.N. Security Council. February 2, 2004 Letter Printer friendly version Brazil: Abusive Conditions for Detained Children Children in northern Brazil are routinely beaten by police and detained in abusive conditions, Human Rights Watch charged in a new report released today. The release comes on the 100th day of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration April 10, 2003 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Cruel Confinement: Abuses Against Detained Children in Northern Brazil, Children in northern Brazil are routinely beaten by police and detained in abusive conditions, Human Rights Watch charged in a new report released today. The release comes on the 100th day of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration. Children face violence at the hands of other youths, are unnecessarily confined to their cells for lengthy periods of time, and often do not receive the schooling to which the Brazilian constitution entitles them, Human Rights Watch said. Brazil is a federation of states, much like the United States, and each state controls its own juvenile detention system. But the federal government has a key role in enforcing the national juvenile justice law. And the federal government can condition its funding of state juvenile detention systems on their compliance with human rights norms. Human Rights Watch's 63-page report, Cruel Confinement: Abuses Against Detained Children in Northern Brazil, is based on interviews with 44 detained youth, as well as dozens of additional interviews with government officials, lawyers, social workers, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations. Human Rights Watch inspected a total of 17 detention facilities, including four girls' detention center, in the states of Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Rondônia, and Pará. Police beatings during and after arrest are common, the report found. Such abuses often occur at police stations, where Brazilian law allows children to be held for up to five days while they await transfer to a juvenile detention facility. In rural areas, where police routinely violate the five-day limit on detention in police lockups, children are at greater risk of police abuse. HRW Index No.: B1501 April 10, 2003 Report Download PDF Purchase online Fact Sheet: Juvenile Detention in Brazil A total of 9,555 youths were in detention in Brazil during the months of September and October 2002, according to the Ministry of Justice. April 10, 2003 Campaign Document |
 
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