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| Brazil Government estimates it will spend around 1.9billion reals (£494million) on 'security' equipment, such as tanks with water cannons, pepper spray and surveillance drones, for the games – the rights group said this is hardly a sign of a country which respects its citizens’ rights to protest. Photo Credit: Total Football |
Research published in Brazil’s Own Goal
by
the multinational human rights group, ARTICLE19, shows
that the state’s response to demonstrations has been one of increasing
repression and violence, more suited to Brazil’s years of military
dictatorship.
The
countdown to the 2014 World Cup has been marked by a series of demonstrations
across Brazil, with hundreds of thousands of Brazilians protesting against
government corruption, unaccountable decision-making and the vast expenditure
used to host the games, money which they believe would be better spent on
public services.
ARTICLE19
accuses the police of using excessive force
against demonstrators, including highly indiscriminate use of potentially
lethal rubber bullets and tear gas.
“A large number of police
officers have been spotted removing their identification during the
protests and refusing to identify themselves when asked so as to ensure
their actions cannot be traced back to them,” it stated on May 29.
“There have been thousands of
arbitrary arrests and the practices of preventative detention and prior
restraint are rife.”
To compound the crackdown on freedom
of expression, they noted that several bills have been proposed in congress to
criminalise demonstrations, including increasing the penalty for crimes related
to damage to property and persons when these happen in demonstrations, the
criminalisation of the use of masks in protests and the closure of public
roads.
Furthermore, the General
World Cup Law, which was approved in 2012, already prohibits
demonstrations that do not contribute to a so-called ‘festive and friendly’
event.
This means that some protests could
be considered illegal depending on their nature if held anywhere near a
stadium, which of course are mainly in highly populated urban areas, the
research revealed.
The right to protest and freedom of
expression is protected under international law, and yet Brazil’s Own Goal shows that these rights are being
stripped away in the country.
Brazil Government estimates it will spend around 1.9billion reals
(£494million) on 'security' equipment, such as tanks with water cannons, pepper
spray and surveillance drones, for the games – the rights group said this is
hardly a sign of a country which respects its citizens’ rights to protest.
Brazil’s Own Goal research
shows the number of people detained in protests in 2013 reached 2,608.
Worryingly, ARTICLE19 said it is not aware of any sanctions against police who
have committed violations during demonstrations, even though many of these
incidents have been recorded on film.
ARTICLE19 has called on the
Brazilian government to ensure the rights to protest and freedom of expression
are protected, by introducing a new law to regulate the use of police force
during demonstrations, which should follow international standards.
“This law should also ensure
policing at protests is designed to safeguard the people’s right to protest in
a safe manner, and that the emphasis should be on negotiation rather than that
of repression as it currently stands,” it stated.
Brazil
is currently led by President Dilma Rousseff, who was herself tortured during
the dictatorship, but the state machinery still retains its military mindset,
viewing even the most peaceful protest as a threat.
READ HERE Article 19's report - Brazil's own goal:
Protests, Police and the World Cup
SOURCE: Article19
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