Protests in Brazil

To date, not a single police officer or commander has been punished or held accountable for the wave of police violence that gripped the country’s streets during the 2013 protests. Despite the numerous accounts and videos with compelling evidence of abuse and violence, hundreds of cases of arbitrary arrests and detentions, serious injuries and even deaths caused by the violence in various Brazilian cities remain unresolved.

In the opening week of the World Cup, activist networks and human rights organizations are preparing to better systematize new complaints with the launch of a collaborative database that will monitor, organize and systematize videos that capture acts of police violence during the protests across Brazil.

Anyone who has filmed an episode of police violence or is aware of relevant videos can contribute to the database, by submitting videos using this form: http://bit.ly/CadastreSeuVideo

Click here to download the manual on how to document police violence at protests.

The database will store information that can be used as evidence in legal cases involving police violence, to expose the problem inside (and outside) Brazil and to demand concrete changes in police practices and punishment for illegal acts.

The initiative is collaborative and includes contributions from: Activist Lawyers, Article 19 Brazil, Brazilian Association of Grassroots Lawyers, Brazilian Center for Solidarity of the People, Conectas, Justiça Global, Network of Communities and Movements against Violence and WITNESS.org.