“When Rio was awarded the 2016 Olympic Games in 2009, authorities promised to improve security for all. Instead, we have seen 2,500 people killed by police since then in the city and very little justice,” said Atila Roque, Director at Amnesty International Brazil in Amnesty International’s report about Brasil published on. A report which examined the new wave of police violence after that the same context came first the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
“In the last 7 years, Rio’s security forces have killed over 2,500 people in the city. Over 100 people have been killed by police in Rio de Janeiro state so far this year. The majority: young black men”. Brasil that, as remembered by Amnesty, has “the highest number of homicides in the world – some 60,000 murders a year. But thousands of those killings are carried out by the police, with almost no accountability whatsoever. “ But 1 of 5 homicides was committed in Rio. “So far in 2016, more than 100 people have been killed in the city of Rio de Janeiro. “
2014 FIFA World Cup
“In the run-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, human rights were increasingly restricted and violated by Brazilian security forces. Since 2013, police forces across Brazil have used unnecessary and excessive force to disperse mostly peaceful protests, including through the abuse of so-called “less lethal” weapons, that resulted in hundreds of people being injured and arbitrarily detained, among them journalists and media activists. The use of the military to undertake tasks relating to public safety and policing of demonstrations – including an operation in the Maré Complex favelas from April 2014 to June 2015 – has also resulted in a series of human rights violations. Government officials have announced a plan to implement a similar model of security operations during the Rio 2016 Olympics, raising concerns about the security and integrity of peaceful protesters and of those living in communities where the military is expected to be deployed, particularly in marginalized areas and favelas. “
The beginning of 2016
As in the previous seven years, police homicides in Rio have not still stopped. “When comparing the first four months of 2016 with the same period in the previous year, there is a decrease of 8.5% in the number of cases of homicides resulting from police interventions in the state of Rio de Janeiro and a decrease of 13.9% in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The decrease happened mostly in the months of January and February, but more recent data shows that this trend is not guaranteed for the months ahead. The month of April 2016 already presents a significant increase when compared with the previous year, which raises serious concerns about the upcoming months. In the last trimester of 2015, the Military Police in Rio de Janeiro began implementing the programme to control the use of force with the main objective of reducing the use of firearms and lethal force during police operations and thus, the number of people killed. The program is intended to identify police units and specific officers with the highest records of use of firearms to undergo training. The General Commander of the Military Police has claimed that, after a few months, positive impacts can already be seen. However, a more detailed analysis is needed to properly understand the reasons for the decreasing numbers of people killed by police and to ensure this trend will continue throughout 2016. “
Conclusions
Brazil security context is not improving, as proved by four most important information:
– During 2016, the police were responsible for over 100 people killed in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
– In the first three weeks of April 2016, at least 11 people were killed during police operations.
– Compared to 2013, in 2015 the murders as a result of intervention by the police in Rio was increased by 54%.
– 77% of young men killed was black.
“With two months to go until the Olympics 2016, there is still time to put in place measures to mitigate the risk of human rights violations and establish accountability mechanisms for those responsible for committing human rights violations. “, Amnesty report ended.
Related Posts:
