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Brazilian Dictatorship
From 1964 through 1985, Brazil had a dictatorship that covered up political activists (Brazil). Over 400 hundred people were murdered or disappeared in this time, and thousands more were tortured (Brazil) -
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Ways of Torture
“Police use torture and other unfair treatment as a means to intimidate prisoners” (Gibb). The police use iron bars, electric probes and hoods, and other devices to carry out collective these “punishment” sessions (Gibb). Police officers pour water into the prisoner’s nose while lying upside down so the water will cause internal damage (Wexler). The prisoners aren't given medication to treat wounds and eventually the prisoner usually becomes very ill and may suffer death (Wexler). (Wexler). -
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America's Watch Report on Prisoner Deaths
Between the years of 1988 and 1991, an America’s watch report withdrew cases on over 5,644 deaths between the ages of 5-17 (Hamber). Most reasons for the deaths of prisoners include resistance or efforts to escape from prison (Hamber). -
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Murders by Police
There were 1,470 people killed from the military police in Sao Paulo. It is an average of 18 suspects each month. If police are caught in these violent acts, they’re suspended from duty. Police investigations rarely occur (Hamber). Many people support killings by the police. Most of the people who support this are poor people because they receive benefits (Hamber). -
Worst Prison Massacre
Nine years ago, 1992, Carandiru was also home to 111 prisoners being gunned down and killed by the police. This was the worst prison massacre in Brazil’s history (8 Die). -
Government Confirms Deaths
In 1995, the government confirmed the deaths of 136 disappeared people (Brazil). -
Overcrowded Jails
In Brazil the prisons are made to contain a couple dozen prisoners. Over the years, they’ve become overcrowded. In one police room, the maximum capacity is thirty people. They are holding 142 people in one police room (Gibb). -
Carandiru Prison Struggle
Carandiru prison, the largest penitentiary in Brazil, was the home to the largest struggle between inmates and police, two of the eight dead prisoners also lost their lives at the hand of the guards here (8 Die). Many of the people taken hostage were relatives of the inmates while they were visiting on Sunday, the one day a week where prisoners could have visitors (8 Die). -
BBC News Talks About Torture
“Brazil incarcerates more people than any other country in Latin America” (Gibb). “While Brazil is more politically and economically stable than many of its Latin American neighbors, human rights groups say it has one of the worst records in the region on torture and abuse of prisoners” (Gibb.) -
United Nations Step In
United Nations have been trying to put a stop to the torture occurring in jails in Brazil. There have been hundreds of cases reported where prisoners have been beaten by military and police (Gibb). -
IACHR comes down on Brazil
In 2010, the Inter American Court of Human Rights determined that Brazil’s actions were against regional human rights responsibilities (Brazil). -
Prisoner Rates Increase
According to the Ministry of Justice's Penitentiary Information Integrated System (INFOPEN) the amount of prisoners has trippled in the last 15 years (World Report). -
Medieval Techniques
The result is some of the hemisphere’s harshest prison conditions, described by the BBC in 2004 as being “medieval,”1 and frequently condemned by human rights experts from both the UN and NGOs such as Amnesty International (Haas). -
Massacre by Police
Police reportedly killed 372 people in Rio de Janeiro and 252 in Sao Paulo, police officers say they had no choice (World Report). -
Cabinet Member Admits
On December 2nd, 2012, a Brazilian cabinet official confirmed the practice of torture inside prisons in Brazil and that it is still used today (Brazil Aide). This was the first confirmation by any government official to the accusations of torturing prisoners (Brazil Aide).
