The organization of the Brazilian police, the high death toll in police actions, and the country’s prison policy were the chief topics about which Brazil was questioned by the United Nations (UN) High Commission on Human Rights, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Thursday, October 27, Brazil concluded the defense of its second report in compliance with the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights. The Presidential secretary of Human Rights, Mário Mamede, explained how the presentation of the report went.
"The brunt of the questioning by the committee concerned the matter of the organization of the Brazilian police," Mamede said.
Various questions were also raised regarding the number of prison inmates in Brazil. According to the secretary, the UN commission received information from civil society sources about prisoners who had already served their sentences and remained incarcerated.
The Brazilian delegation pledged to respond to the questions that were not answered to the satisfaction of the UN commission by next Tuesday, November 1st. After this follow-up, the UN rapporteurs and experts will prepare a document that will be handed over to the Brazilian government, the legislative and judicial branches, and the Public Defense Ministry.
Brazil ratified the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights in 1992 and submitted its first report to the UN in 1994. The second report was sent to the UN in November, 2004, and contains information on the implementation of political and civil rights in Brazil during the course of an entire decade (1994-2004).
Agência Brasil
