UN High Commissioner criticizes “preventive amnesty” requested for troops in Rio de Janeiro intervention
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Alto Comissário da ONU para os Direitos Humanos (Foto: Violaine Martin)
In a statement at the 37th annual session of the Human Rights Council on Wednesday, March 1, the High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein criticized the decree establishing federal security intervention in Rio de Janeiro. He argued that the Armed Forces are not specialized in policing and also said that the actions must not violate human rights and that civil society must be allowed to play an oversight role.
Hussein also criticized the statements by high-ranking military officials calling for what he described as “preventive amnesty for any troops who may commit human rights violations”. The government, meanwhile, should ensure that the security measures are not abusive and that “effective measures are taken to prevent racial profiling and the criminalization of the poor”.
“The statement by the High Commissioner echoes a concern that is shared by much of Brazilian civil society. In addition to considering the decree unconstitutional, it is worth noting that nearly 20 days after the start of the intervention, the federal government and the intervenor had still not presented a plan outlining clear goals and criteria for the operations,” said Rafael Custódio, coordinator of the Institutional Violence program at Conectas. “This illustrates not only the problematic way in which the action was taken, but also the lack of commitment to dialogue and transparency,” added Custódio.
Read below the part of the statement on Brazil:
“I am concerned by the recent adoption of a decree that gives the Armed Forces authority to fight crime in the state of Rio de Janeiro and places the police under army command. The Armed Forces are not specialized in public security or investigation. I deplore calls by high-ranking army officials for measures amounting in effect to a preventive amnesty for any troops who may commit human rights violations. I urge the government to ensure that security measures respect human rights standards and effective measures are taken to prevent racial profiling and the criminalization of the poor. I acknowledge the creation of a Human Rights Observatory last week to monitor military actions during the intervention and I emphasize the importance of civil society participation in this body.”
