Brazil: Extra Judicial and Summary Executions

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/maabWbLaa4jFhbb0hPub/

Amnesty International in Brazil, read more at http://amnesty-news.c.tep1.com/maabWbLaa4jFibb0hPub/

View all documents on Brazil at http://amnesty-news.c.tep1.com/maabWbLaa4jFjbb0hPub/

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