1

THE CONTRIBUTION OF POLICE BRUTALITY ON THE

VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN BRAZIL.

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………

1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………

2. ANALYSIS OF POLICE BRUTALITY IN BRAZIL ……………..

2a. Case studies…………………………………………………

2b. Analysis of the findings ……………………………………….

3. AGITATIONS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY………………

3a. Efforts to be put into consideration………………………….

 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This annual Amnesty report covers the violation of human rights following police brutality .
It provides an analysis of these violations based on the research carried out by Amnesty
organization.
Amnesty International works independently and impartially to promote.
respect for all the human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Amnesty International believes that human rights are interdependent and indivisible -- all
human rights should be enjoyed by all people at all times, and no one set of rights can be
enjoyed at the expense of other rights.(Amnesty, 2003)
According to Amnesty International, the organizationworks by undertaking research and
action focused on preventing and ending abuses to human rights in regards to physical and
mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination,
within the context of it’s work to promote all human rights. It makes this practical by
mobilizing volunteer activists who give their support and seek justice to the victims of human
rights violations .
This report provides the highlights for the findings of violation of human rights through
police brutality from investigations and research from Amnesty International.It also provides
Amnesty International assessment of police brutality and the extent to which it limits global
interactions

INTRODUCTION

This report seeks to evaluate the extent to which police brutality has contributed to the
violation of human rights and has caused other underlying effects which hinder human
development. Police brutality has been one the most prominent causes of public
demonstrations and riots over the recent years. It has now been considered as a global issue
and has gained concern from multinational organizations such as the UN and Amnesty
International. This has led to the drafting of the guidelines that govern the use of police force
in regards to the preservation and protection of human rights.
 3

The term “police brutality” is sometimes used to refer to various human

rights violations by police. This might include beatings, racial abuse, unlawful killings,
torture, or indiscriminate use of riot control agents at protests.(Amnesty, 2020)
Police brutality violates some if sometimes not all of The United Nation High Commissioner
For Human Rights protocols regarding the use of power in law enforcement. Despite the
regulations set by UNHCR which when followed will preserve Human rights, most often the
state authorities don't take action in a lawful approach and don’t administer justice to the
victims of police brutality.
This research focuses on police brutality in Brazil at the national level. It presents case
studies of police brutality by the police in Brazil.
2. ANALYSIS OF POLICE BRUTALITY IN BRAZIL
Brazil has been one of the most countries prone to police brutality in recent years. With
deliberate killings of masses and individuals, in 2020 , Brazil recorded death cases amounting
to 6416 people . Of these cases some locations experience higher death rates than the others .
These locations are usually slums and full with black people . Rio De Janeiro in particular
recorded 1245 death cases by police alone
2a. Case studies
May 6 police raid
The crackdown operation which stormed into Rio de Janeiro's largest slum Jacarezinho
targeting members of a low level drug gang left 28 people dead. The operation was widely
applauded by the Brazilian media and the police termed it justified despite violating the
Supreme Court ruling which prohibited police raids unless under “absolutely exceptional
circumstances” which in this case can’t be justified since the gang didn’t pose “an imminent
threat to life or of serious injury” as prescribed by the UN regarding the use of lethal force.
According to the Human Rights Watch(HRW), the police reports said 2 victims had no police
records but the other 25 had police records but they did not say if any had been convicted of a
crime. The HRW identified pieces of evidence indicating that police officers removed bodies
from the crime scene to destroy evidence so as to avoid full accountability for abuses. The
civic police officers who planned and initiated the operation were not held accountable
lawfully following the approval of the operation by the Public Ministry
May 24 Vila Cruzeiro raid
The police raid which took place Early 24th May left at least 11 people dead in the Northside
of Rio De Janeiro Vila Cruzeiro . The police said the raid aimed to capture leaders of a drug
trafficking organization. “The operation prompted outrage and protests among residents who
said they felt terrorized and trapped in their community and prompted calls for an
independent investigation from human rights organizations and the UN officials. The
operation took place despite last year’s UN statement regarding use of lethal force which
requested Brazilian authorities to apply force when only necessary and it should respect
principles of legality, precaution, necessity and proportionality.
Agatha’s killing
The eight-year-old Agatha was killed by the police as she was going home with her mother in
a van. The police who shot her said it was a confrontation but this was not the case. The
police officer opened fire after telling a man riding the motorbike to stop but he didn’t ."A
 4

guy came on a motorbike and the police asked him to stop. He didn't stop and left, he was
unarmed, and the police shot. There was no confrontation, the only shot was [from the
police]," the girl's uncle, Elias, told local media.
2b Analysis of the findings .

From the case studies there are some generalizations to be made. First it is best to agree that
of all these cases the police are not prosecuted lawfully. Second, the police and the judicial
institutions are not responsible and are not upholding integrity in relation to global human
rights. There can also be traces of execution style killings which are totally against humanity.
In all these cases. The effects of these cases range from a variety of societal aspects. It results
in a decline in economic progress and development. During a demonstration held by the
Black Lives Matter following police brutality which resulted in the death of George Floyd,
property worth $1-$2 billion was destroyed in the USA, causing the highest damage record in
the United States history.
The psychologists have attributed it to cause acute stress among the victims. These effects
have resulted in social tension which prevented people from interacting with social activities .
AGITATIONS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY
3a. Efforts to be put into consideration

Since police violence is lethal in Brazil, leading active protest will result to mass killings and
destruction of properties again causing loss and damages. With mass communication tools ,
protests and agitations can be conducted collectively using social media. Social media will
encompass a larger audience, therefore attracting support for agitation and advocacy for the
decline of this issue . The information passed to social media will be a gateway to the outside
world understanding the evil that happens within the boundaries of Brazil. With a public
worldwide outcry, Multinational organizations such as the UN will be prompted to take
action and bring those evils before the light of justice .
References
Amnesty International. (2003). Amnesty International.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/org100042003en.pdf
Amnesty International. (2020). Police Violence. Www.amnesty.org.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/police-brutality/
At least 11 dead in Brazilian police raid in favela: Authorities. (2020). Www.aljazeera.com.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/24/at-least-11-dead-in-brazilian-police-raid-in-favela
-authorities