Carandiru Massacre

Conectas responds to the decision by the São Paulo Appeals Court to overturn the convictions of 34 police officers for the massacre in 1992

In the week that marks the 24th anniversary of the Carandiru massacre (the crime occurred on October 2, 1992), the decision of the São Paulo Appeals Court yesterday, September 27, to overturn the ruling that convicted 74 military police officers is an affront to the right to redress and to accountability.

The argument that the police acted in legitimate self-defense is not supported by the facts, which are public and well-known, that indicate there was a genuine massacre of prisoners who had surrendered or were hiding in their cells. Whereas at least 111 unarmed prisoners were killed during the operation, most with gunshots to the head and in the back – a clear sign of execution – one police officer was wounded, his injuries caused by shards from a television that was shot by another officer.

The decision reinforces the impunity of crimes committed by the State and legitimizes the violence used by the police against the most vulnerable populations. Moreover, it demonstrates that the Judiciary does not serve everyone equally and that, in practice, it is a branch that violates human rights.