Lethal Force : Police Violence and Public Security in Rio De Janeiro and São Paulo
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Brazil HUMAN Lethal Force RIGHTS Police Violence and Public Security in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo WATCH Lethal Force Police Violence and Public Security in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo Copyright © 2009 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-578-4 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org December 2009 1-56432-578-4 Lethal Force Police Violence and Public Security in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo I. Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Police Killings .............................................................................................................................. 3 Police Cover Ups .......................................................................................................................... 4 Police Investigations .................................................................................................................... 5 Police Impunity ............................................................................................................................ 5 Key Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 6 II. Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 8 III. Background ................................................................................................................................ 10 Violence by Criminal Gangs ........................................................................................................ 10 Inadequate Pay and Police Corruption ........................................................................................ 11 Reform Initiatives ....................................................................................................................... 12 Criminal Justice in Brazil ............................................................................................................ 13 Brazil’s Obligations Under International Law .............................................................................. 15 Prohibition of Extrajudicial Executions ................................................................................. 16 Duty to Investigate and Prosecute Abuses ........................................................................... 17 IV. Police Killings ............................................................................................................................ 20 “Resistance” Killings ................................................................................................................. 22 Widespread Scope of Extrajudicial Executions ..................................................................... 27 The Ten Most Lethal Military Police Battalions in Rio de Janeiro ............................................ 36 ROTA: One of São Paulo’s Most Lethal Military Police Units ................................................. 40 Killings by Death Squads and Militias ........................................................................................ 41 São Paulo’s Death Squads .................................................................................................. 41 Rio’s Militias ...................................................................................................................... 46 V. Police Cover Ups .......................................................................................................................... 52 False “Rescues” ......................................................................................................................... 52 Missing Clothes .................................................................................................................. 58 Broad Scope of the False “Rescues” Problem ..................................................................... 60 Police Duty to Rescue ............................................................................................................... 62 Planting of Evidence .................................................................................................................. 63 Witness Intimidation .................................................................................................................. 65 VI. Police Investigations .................................................................................................................. 71 Investigatory Failures ................................................................................................................. 72 Failure to Adequately Question Police Officers ..................................................................... 73 Failure to Interview All Police Officers Involved in a Killing .................................................. 80 Failure to Interview Non-Police Eyewitnesses ...................................................................... 80 Failure to Conduct Forensic Examinations ............................................................................ 81 Failure to Promptly Conduct Investigations .......................................................................... 83 Failure to Track Records of Individual Officers ...................................................................... 85 Failure to Ensure That Officers Under Investigation Be Taken Off Street Duties ..................... 85 Conflicts of Interest ................................................................................................................... 86 Civil Police Inquiries ............................................................................................................ 87 Forensics Institutes ............................................................................................................ 88 Police Internal Affairs ......................................................................................................... 89 VII. Police Impunity ..........................................................................................................................94 Impunity for Police Killings ........................................................................................................ 94 Impunity for Police Cover Ups .................................................................................................... 97 Limited Accountability for Killings by Off-Duty Officers .............................................................. 98 The Role of State Prosecutors ................................................................................................... 100 Institutional Autonomy ...................................................................................................... 100 Prosecution of Crimes ....................................................................................................... 100 Oversight of the Police ...................................................................................................... 100 Obstacles to Effective Prosecution and Oversight ..................................................................... 101 Delayed Notification .......................................................................................................... 101 Case Distribution .............................................................................................................. 102 Legal Challenges ............................................................................................................... 104 Reliance on Police Investigators ........................................................................................ 104 Limits of Other External Accountability Mechanisms ................................................................ 106 Ombudsman’s Offices ....................................................................................................... 106 Federal Mechanisms ......................................................................................................... 109 VIII. Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 110 I. Establish Special Prosecutorial Units for Police Killing Cases ................................................. 112 II. Ensure the Success of Special Prosecutorial Units ................................................................. 113 III. Additional Measures to Curb Police Abuse and Impunity ..................................................... 114 To the Federal Special Secretariat for Human Rights .........................................................