AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

BRAZIL
Federative Republic of Brazil
Head of state and government: Michel Temer (replaced
Dilma Rousseff in August)
Police continued to use unnecessary and
excessive force, particularly in the context
of protests. Young people and black men,
mainly those living in favelas and other
marginalized communities, were
disproportionately targeted with violence by
law enforcement officials. Human rights
defenders, especially those defending land
and environmental rights, faced increased
threats and attacks. Violence against
women and girls remained widespread.
Human rights violations and discrimination
against refugees, asylum-seekers and
migrants intensified.
BACKGROUND
On 31 August, President Dilma Rousseff was
impeached after a long process in Congress,
after which Vice-President Michel Temer took
office. The new government announced
several measures and proposals with the
potential to impact human rights, including a
constitutional amendment (PEC 241/55)
capping government expenses over the next
20 years that could negatively affect
investments in education, health and other
areas. The amendment was approved in the
House of Representatives and the Senate
and was heavily criticized by the UN
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and
human rights.
In Congress, several proposals that would
impinge on the rights of women, Indigenous
Peoples, children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals
were pending discussion. In September a
special commission in the House of
Representatives approved changes to family
law to define family as the union between a
man and a woman.
Brazil had not yet ratified the Arms Trade
Treaty nor signed the Convention on Cluster
Munitions. Brazil played a significant role in
ongoing negotiations for a treaty that
would ban nuclear weapons, to be finalized
in 2017.
In December, the Inter-American Court of
Human Rights convicted the Brazilian state
for tolerating slave labour and trafficking of
people, based on conditions of farm workers
in the northern state of Pará.
PUBLIC SECURITY
Homicides and gun violence remained high
throughout the country, with estimates
putting the number of victims of homicides in
2015 at over 58,000. The authorities failed to
propose a plan to address the situation.
On 29 January, 10 people were killed and
15 wounded by gunmen in the city of
Londrina, Paraná state. Six of the seven
people detained during the investigation into
the incident were military police officers.
In March, following her visit to Brazil, the
UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues
presented to the Human Rights Council her
recommendations that both the military
police and the automatic classification of
killings by the police as “resistance followed
by death” – which presumes that the police
acted in self-defence and does not lead to
any investigation – be abolished.
In September the federal government
authorized the deployment of armed forces in
the state of Rio Grande do Norte to support
the police after several days of attacks by
criminal gangs on buses and public
buildings. At least 85 people were detained
for allegedly participating in the attacks.
On 18 November, seven men were shot
dead in Imperatriz, Maranhão, after an offduty
military police officer had been targeted
for attempted robbery and physical assault.
2016 Olympic Games
The authorities and organizers of the 2016
Olympic Games failed to implement
necessary measures to prevent human rights
violations by security forces before and
during the sporting event. 1 This led to a
repetition of violations witnessed during other
major sporting events hosted in the city of Rio
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