Brazil
26.07.02
Urgent Interventions
Brasil: Report by the Global Justice Center and leading international groups condemns Legally Organized Death Squad in Espírito Santo
International Organizations Urge Brazil to Protect Human Rights Defenders
Report by the Global Justice Center and leading international groups condemns Legally Organized Death Squad in Espírito Santo
Today, July 25, 2002, the Global Justice Center’s Executive Director James Cavallaro will present a report entitled “The Human Rights Crisis in Espírito Santo: threats and violence against human rights defenders” to representatives of the United States Congress and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington DC. The report details the threats and intimidation directed at human rights defenders at all levels of society in Espírito Santo state, Brazil, by organized crime groups and their death squads, particularly the Scuderie Detetive Le Coq. On Friday, July 26, 2002, the Global Justice Center’s legal coordinator Andressa Caldas will also present the report to representatives of Latin American civil society, the UN and the OAS at the Second Latin American Consultation on Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala City.
Forum Reage Espírito Santo, Front Line, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights (a joint program of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)) and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial join Global Justice in condemning the severe rights violations in Espírito Santo. The international NGOs demand effective and speedy measures to rectify the current human rights crisis in the state and protect human rights defenders.
The human rights situation in Espírito Santo became a major national issue on July 4, 2002, when the Brazilian Ministry of Justice Human Rights Council requested that the federal government intervene in the state to protect the fundamental rights of the state’s citizens. Subsequently, on July 8, the Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso effectively blocked the motion, without citing any juridical basis for his decision. The President’s decision led the then Minister of Justice, Miguel Reale Jr., and several other high ranking Ministry of Justice officials to resign in protest.
Report by the Global Justice Center and leading international groups condemns Legally Organized Death Squad in Espírito Santo
Today, July 25, 2002, the Global Justice Center’s Executive Director James Cavallaro will present a report entitled “The Human Rights Crisis in Espírito Santo: threats and violence against human rights defenders” to representatives of the United States Congress and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington DC. The report details the threats and intimidation directed at human rights defenders at all levels of society in Espírito Santo state, Brazil, by organized crime groups and their death squads, particularly the Scuderie Detetive Le Coq. On Friday, July 26, 2002, the Global Justice Center’s legal coordinator Andressa Caldas will also present the report to representatives of Latin American civil society, the UN and the OAS at the Second Latin American Consultation on Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala City.
Forum Reage Espírito Santo, Front Line, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights (a joint program of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)) and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial join Global Justice in condemning the severe rights violations in Espírito Santo. The international NGOs demand effective and speedy measures to rectify the current human rights crisis in the state and protect human rights defenders.
The human rights situation in Espírito Santo became a major national issue on July 4, 2002, when the Brazilian Ministry of Justice Human Rights Council requested that the federal government intervene in the state to protect the fundamental rights of the state’s citizens. Subsequently, on July 8, the Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso effectively blocked the motion, without citing any juridical basis for his decision. The President’s decision led the then Minister of Justice, Miguel Reale Jr., and several other high ranking Ministry of Justice officials to resign in protest.
The report is also available at the FIDH website
This report has been produced with the support of the Observatory
Additional Information:
In the United States:
James Cavallaro and Kim Stanton (001) (202) 463-7575
In Brazil:
Sandra Carvalho: (0055) (11) 9114-9249
The Global Justice Center: (0055) 21-2547-7391; 2549-3599; 3816-2766