BRAZIL Police Violence & the 500 th Anniversary

Transcription

1 BRAZIL Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary The 22 Aprl 2000 marked the 500 th annversary of the arrval of the Portuguese on Brazlan sol. To celebrate ths event the Brazlan government organzed a host of events, costng $R66.7 mllon 1, of whch $R1.7 mllon was spent on presdental securty. The celebratons were focussed on the town of Porto Seguro n the south of Baha, near where Portuguese shps frst landed n Events ncluded the makng of a replca of the orgnal shp that the Portuguese salor, Pedro Alvarez Cabral, arrved n; the constructon of varous buldngs n the ndgenous town of Coroa Vermelha, ncludng a shoppng centre and a conference centre; as well as the nstallaton, wthout permsson, on ndgenous ttled land of an enormous metal cross on the ste of the frst mass celebrated by the Portuguese. In the run up to these offcal celebratons several poltcal movements, trade unons, NGO s, grass-roots and ndgenous organzatons set up what they called the "Outros 500", Other 500 years. Ths ntatve was planned as a way of usng the symbolc date to focus on the stuaton of the ndgenous people, the landless, racal mnortes and other margnalzed groups n Brazlan socety. It was also seen as a means of contestng the offcal message beng promoted by the federal government, both at home and abroad, whch they clamed uncrtcally celebrated the 500 years of Brazl`s hstory; gnorng the contnung njustces suffered by sectons of Brazlan socety, such as ndgenous and black peoples and rural landless workers. The offcal celebratons angered many groups who felt that a real opportunty for reflectng on Brazl`s complex hstorcal legacy was beng suppressed n favour of a superfcal natonal and nternatonal marketng campagn. Ths was nowhere better llustrated than n the use of mages of ndgenous peoples n the marketng campagn and the plan to nvte a token ndgenous delegaton to partcpate n the celebratons. At the same tme the authortes excluded ndgenous leaders and representatves from around the country and dened them the rght to partcpate n the celebratons and express ther legtmate concerns regardng ndgenous rghts. The authortes`attempt to lmt ndgenous partcpaton to the endorsement of offcal celebratons, led ndgenous organzatons and peoples to call an ndependent natonal ndgenous conference to take place on the days before 22 Aprl 2000 n Coroa Vermelha n order to agree an agenda for ndgenous ssues and brng these to publc attenton. On the day of the annversary, demonstrators from black and ndgenous groups as well as popular actvsts, poltcans, students and many others supportng the "Outros 500" campagn tred to peacefully march from Coroa Vermelha to Porto Seguro. Unts of the mltary polce blocked the road then reportedly used excessve force to break up the peaceful demonstraton; attackng marchers wth tear-gas, rubber-bullets and batons; leavng 30 protestors njured and 141 n shortterm detenton. Numerous wtnesses alleged that the polce attack was unprovoked and apparently desgned to prevent the marchers from reachng Porto Seguro where the presdents of Brazl and Portugal were leadng the offcal celebratons. 1 Approxmately US$35m

2 2 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary Although marchers were dened access to Porto Seguro, the polce acton appeared to demonstrate the Brazlan authortes` contnued wllngness to employ arbtrary state volence n order to slence nconvenent protests. Televsed scenes of the polce volence aganst ndgenous and black marchers were broadcast both natonally and nternatonally, nadvertently confrmng the arguments of the organzers of "Outros 500" about ther excluson from the event and socety; and undermnng the mage of Brazl promoted n the publc relatons campagn surroundng the offcal celebratons. However, rather than accept any responsblty for the volence, the authortes - ncludng the Presdent hmself - prased the polce for ther acton; denyng any excessve use of force and attemptng to assure publc opnon that the measures had been essental n order to avod worse volence. The Marco Veran (Awata Perend), an ndgenous leader of the Guaran Kaw peoples from the vllage of Taquara, Mato Grosso do Sul. Amnesty Internatonal delegates ntervewed hm and many other authortes justfed ndgenous leaders at Monte Pascol, Baha on 16 Aprl AI ) the polce acton by portrayng the marchers as volent and ntent on dsruptng the offcal celebratons. Repeated unsubstantated allegatons were made n order to dscredt the marchers and to suggest that leftwng agtators had nfltrated and manpulated the ndgenous groups n order to cause volence. Meda reports and numerous eyewtness accounts contradct these clams, and appear to expose a clear attempt by the authortes to dscredt the "Outros 500" campagn and legtmze polce volence. In the aftermath of the polce acton and the ensung publc outcry, the Federal Publc Prosecutor`s Offce n Baha ordered the federal polce of Baha to conduct an enqury nto the polce volence to establsh whether there were suffcent grounds to brng crmnal prosecutons aganst the Brazlan State. A cvl case was also opened seekng moral and materal compensaton for ndgenous groups affected by the polce acton. In July 2000 the nvestgaton by the federal polce concluded that the state mlary polce had not employed excessve use of force durng the operaton of 22 Aprl However, the nadequaces of the nvestgaton and the weght of the evdence contradctng ts conclusons has led the Federal Publc Prosecutor to challenge these fndngs. AI Index: AMR 19/29/00 Amnesty Internatonal December 2000

3 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary 3 Offcal approval for the polce operaton s overt: the mltary polce offcer n charge of the operaton on 22 Aprl has snce been promoted by the state authortes n commendaton for hs part n the polce acton. Amnesty Internatonal s concerned at the falure to conduct an ndependent and mpartal nvestgaton nto the events of 22 Aprl. Once agan the quest for justce has been suffocated by the apparent demands of poltcal expedency and Brazl`s justce system contnues to all but guarantee mpunty for those responsble for orderng and carryng out human rghts volatons. Chronology of events leadng up to the 22 Aprl 2000 celebratons 4 Aprl Around 200 mltary polce enter the Pataxó reservaton n Coroa Vermelha, Baha, to destroy a monument recently constructed by ndgenous people to commemorate the massacre of ndgenous peoples n Amerca by Europeans. The Resstance Monument (Monumento da Resstênca) was constructed next to the vast stanless steel cross erected by the organzers of the 500 th annversary celebratons to mark the locaton of the frst mass celebrated by the Portuguese. The alternatve monument, a 280m 2 map of Latn Amerca adorned wth tradtonal handcrafts and coral, was a protest aganst the authortes excluson of real plght ndgenous people from the offcal celebratons. The constructon of the steel cross wthout permsson on Pataxó land, n contraventon of Artcle 231 of the Brazlan Consttuton 2, had nspred the creaton of the "alternatve" monument. 7 Aprl The Marcha Indgena 2000' (Indgenous March 2000), starts as thousands of ndgenous peoples from hundreds of trbes around the country set off n the drecton of Porto Seguro. Both the state and federal government make clear that publc demonstratons aganst the presdent durng the celebratons wll not be tolerated. 12 Aprl A delegaton of ndgenous chefs en route to Porto Seguro n Baha arrve n Brasla and announce that they plan to make an offcal nvtaton to the presdent, Fernando Henrque Cardoso (FHC), to attend the ndgenous conference n Coroa Vermelha. 2 Brazlan Consttuton, Artcle 231, Natve Populatons and Lands (0) Indans shall have ther socal organzaton, customs, languages, creeds, and tradtons recognzed, as well as ther natve rghts to the lands they tradtonally occupy, t beng ncumbent upon the Republc to demarcate them and protect and ensure respect for all ther property. (1) Lands tradtonally occuped by Indans are those on whch they lve on a permanent bass, those used for ther productve actvtes, those whch are ndspensable to preserve the envronmental resources requred for ther well beng and those necessary for ther physcal and cultural reproducton, accordng to ther sues, customs, and tradtons. (2) The lands tradtonally occuped by Indans are ntended for ther permanent possesson, and they shall be enttled to exclusve use of the rches of the sol, rvers, and lakes exstng thereon.

4 4 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary 13 Aprl The ndgenous delegaton n Brasla go to congress to plea for the Estatutos dos Povos Indígenas, Indgenous Peoples Statute, to be passed. The bll, whch has remaned stalled n Congress for the last fve years, s ntended to codfy the rghts of ndgenous peoples. The delegaton also called for the lftng of the heavy polcng operaton n Baha state pror to annversary and the arrval of Marcha Indgena Durng the meetng wth Congress, one of the ndgenous chefs evades the securty cordon and ponts an arrow at Antono Carlos Magalhães (ACM). ACM s a senator for Baha, the presdent of the senate and a domnant fgure fgure n Brazlan poltcs. He s beleved to have been nvolved n the decson to have such heavy polcng around the town of Porto Seguro n the run-up to the celebratons. ACM s accused by one Pataxó leader durng the meetng of handng out ndgenous land to farmers durng hs tme as governor of Baha. The natonal meda feature photographs of ACM wth an arrow ponted at hs head. Indgenous protestors watch mltary polce shock troops blockng the road to Porto Seguro. Reuters (for use n AI materal only, excludng web) 14 Aprl Outsde the town of Itabuna the mltary polce stop a convoy of supporters of the Movmento Sem Terra (MST), Landless Rural Workers Movement, on ther way to Porto Seguro to jon the ndgenous march. The mltary polce order all 400 MST supporters out of ther buses to search them. The mltary polce state that they have orders to search all vehcles gong to Porto Seguro. The MST supporters then set up a road block n protest, leadng to a mnor confrontaton wth AI Index: AMR 19/29/00 Amnesty Internatonal December 2000

5 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary 5 polce: three polcemen are njured and 11 MST supporters arrested. The remanng MST contngent are later allowed to contnue ther journey. 15 Aprl Amnesty Internatonal delegates meet wth members of Conselho Indgensta Mssonaro (CIMI), Indgenous Mssonary Councl, along wth other organsers of the ndgenous conference to be held on Coroa Vermelha. Delegates are nformed of the constant scrutny and harassment marchers have been subjected to by members of the mltary polce n the run up to the celebratons. After comng to an agreement wth the Bahan authortes, the MST are allowed free passage to Porto Seguro for a 3,000 strong march to commemorate the annversary of the Eldorado de Carajás massacre, where 19 MST supporters were klled by the mltary polce n the state of Pará n The agreement was reached after the MST gave assurances that the marchers would leave the town before the 22 Aprl celebratons, but n the followng days the MST threaten to break the agreement. 16 Aprl Around 500 ndgenous people representng 29 trbes, accompaned by MST supporters, march through the state captal of Baha, Salvador, n protest aganst the 500 th annversary celebratons. Amensty Internatonal delegates attend an ndgenous rally held at Monte Pascoal - the frst part of the Brazlan coast sted by Portuguese salors. The two delegates meet wth many ndgenous peoples from varous trbes from around the whole country. Some have travelled for several days by boat to leave ther tradtonal vllages to partcpate n the Marcha Indgena 2000 and the conference to be held n Coroa Vermelha. The delegaton also took many statements from those present detalng the abuse and volence suffered by the ndgenous communtes of Brazl. 18 Aprl 2,000 ndgenous peoples camped n Santa Cruz de Cabrála - on the road to Porto Seguro, state that they are consderng of jonng wth the MST and members of black movements to make ther protest on the 22 Aprl. They state that as long as the demonstratons are peaceful they are happy to jon wth other members of socety excluded from the offcal celebratons.

6 6 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary 19 Aprl The presdent attacks the MST, statng that the commemoratons are not an "nvtaton to a wake"("convte a um velóro"; Folha de São Paulo, 20/4/00), n a reference to the protests beng organzed for the 22 Aprl. A publc demonstraton n Ro de Janero by students ended n volence. Around 300 students gathered around the clock set up by Globo TV to count down the 500 years. As the students attempted to move on to the man road, around 50 members of the mltary polce s shock troops ntervened usng stun grenades, tear gas, truncheons and rubber bullets. One student was arrested and one was njured n the head, whle one polceman was also njured. An ndgenous conference begns n Coroa Vermelha brngng together representatves from over a 100 dfferent ndgenous peoples from all over Brazl - some of those who attend had made ther way to the conference on foot, some had never seen the sea before. Xavante ndgenous protestors nfront of lnes of mltary polce on the road to Porto Seguro before the march was volently broken up. Reuters (for use n AI materal only, excludng web) AI Index: AMR 19/29/00 Amnesty Internatonal December 2000

7 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary 7 20 Aprl FHC arrves n Baha, at a hotel on the sland of Comandatuba. Hs agenda for the celebratons are stll to be confrmed. Organzers of the Outros 500' campagn announce that they are hopng to have 10,000 supporters n Porto Seguro on the 22 Aprl. The 2,000 MST supporters camped on the road between Porto Seguro and the town of Eunápols decde to march nto Porto Seguro. In exchange for not makng publc protests aganst the presdent, the MST supporters ask for the possblty to meet wth hm. 21 Aprl The mltary polce state that all banners and protests attackng the presdent wll be prohbted from Porto Seguro. A hgh rankng mltary polce offcer stated that, "Freedom of expresson s all well and good, but we cannot allow slurs aganst the establshed power, whch s the presdent" ("Lberdade de expressão, tudo bem, mas não podemos permtr ofensas ao poder consttuído, que é o presdente"; Folha de São Paulo 21/4/00). Furthermore the mltary polce state they wll be controllng entry nto the town, prohbtng those who are armed from havng access to the celebratons. As part of the securty preparatons, numerous mltary polce are brought n, along wth mounted polce, mltary polce shock troops. Plan clothes polce are reportedly nfltrated amongst the MST and ndgenous protestors. A delegaton made up of senators, federal and state deputes and a number of bshops tres wthout success to negotate wth the mltary polce, the State Governor and representatves of the Federal government to allow the ndgenous marchers to enter Porto Seguro. The presdent s planned vst to Porto Seguro s cut down to sx hours. 22 Aprl The day of the 500 th annversary. At 9 am approxmately 1000 marchers are stopped on the road from Coroa Vermelha to Porto Seguro by mltary polce shock troops. Polce reportedly start frng tear gas and rubber bullets and baton chargng the demonstrators n order to dsperse the group. Two hours later, members of the Xavante and Pataxó peoples lead at least 3000 marchers, ncludng black and other ndgenous groups, trade unonsts and opposton poltcans along the same road from the ndgenous conference at Coroa Vermelha toward Porto Seguro through the muncpalty of Santa Cruz Cabrála. Near the muncpal border of Porto Seguro marchers are stopped by mltary polce shock troops blockng the road. The polce strategy appears desgned to prevent dfferent groups of marchers from jonng together and stop them reachng the town of Porto Seguro. Wtnesses have snce testfed that the protests were peaceful despte repeated provocaton from the polce ranks and reported polce nfltrators amongst the demonstrators attemptng to ncte volence.

8 8 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary Despte the reported lack of provocaton from the protestors, once agan, polce fre tear gas and rubber bullets on the crowd, whch ncludes chldren, then baton charge and beat numerous protestors. In the resultng panc demonstrators flee pursued by the polce who contnue to fre tear gas at the marchers as they are chased a klometre back toward Coroa Vermelha. Some protesters retalate by throwng stones and arrows. The polce operatons durng the day leave at least 30 protestors wth mnor njures and 141 detaned, all of whom were subsequently released. There were no reports of polce njures. Accordng to reports, n moments before the volence erupts, the polce attempt to prevent members of the meda from crculatng among the marchers and 4. Law enforcement offcals, n carryng out ther duty, shall, as far as possble, apply non-volent means before resortng to the use of force and frearms. 5. Whenever the lawful use of force and frearms s unavodable, law enforcement offcals shall: (a) Exercse restrant n such use and act n proporton to the serousness of the offence and the legtmate objectve to be acheved; 7. Governments shall ensure that arbtrary or abusve use of force and frearms by law enforcement offcals s punshed as a crmnal offence under ther law Basc Prncples on the Use of Force and Frearms by Law Enforcement Offcals Adopted by the Eghth Unted Natons Congress on the Preventon of Crme and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana, Cuba, 27 August to 7 September photographng the demonstraton and the polce volence. Lula Marques, a photo-journalst from a natonal newspaper, the Folha de São Paulo, s one of those temporarly arrested by the mltary polce. The aftermath Although the polce operaton was deemed a success by the authortes, scenes of the polce nterventon were broadcast and prnted n natonal and nternatonal meda, leadng to wdespread crtcsm of the polcng of the annversary celebratons. Carlos Frederco Marés de Souza Flho, the presdent of the Fundacão Naconal da Indígena (FUNAI), Natonal Indan Foundaton, the governmental offce for ndgenous affars, who wtnessed the polce volence at frst hand, resgned n protest, sayng "I cannot reman part of a government that performs acts of aggresson aganst the ndgenous movement" ("Não posso permanecer num governo que faz uma agressão físca ao movmento ndígena organzado";folha de São Paulo 23/4/00). A number of Federal Deputes who also partcpated n the Outros 500 demonstraton on 22 Aprl made speeches n the Brazlan parlament testfyng to the arbtrary and excessve use of force by polce aganst demonstrators and called for nvestgatons and for those responsble to be brought to justce. The poltcal pressure for an nvestgaton nto the polce acton led Presdent Fernando Henrque Cardoso to request the Mnsters of Justce and Publc Securty to look nto what had happened on 22 Aprl, but ths dd not result n state and federal backng for a thorough and ndependent nvestgaton. AI Index: AMR 19/29/00 Amnesty Internatonal December 2000

9 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary 9 Indgenous protestors watch mltary polce shock troops blockng the road to Porto Seguro. Reuters (for use n AI materal only, excludng web) Crmnal and cvl proceedngs The reports of human rghts volatons commtted by the polce were fled wth the local Federal Publc Prosecutor n the jursdcton of Ilheus, whch covers the muncpalty of Santa Cruz Cabrála - the scene of the volence. On the bass of these complants he ordered the Baha federal polce to conduct an enqury nto the allegatons of polce brutalty to establsh whether there were suffcent grounds to brng crmnal charges aganst the mltary polce of Baha. A cvl acton was also opened to establsh the clam for compensaton for the vctms of the polce acton. The federal prosecutor responsble for ntatng these judcal proceedngs had prevously played an mportant role n takng judcal acton aganst the polce for llegally enterng Pataxó ndgenous land and destroyng the alternatve monument at Coroa Vermelha on 4 Aprl.In July 2000, the federal polce nvestgaton exonerated the state mlary polce of all blame for the volence and concluded that excessve force had not been used durng the operaton of 22 Aprl However, accordng to reports receved by Amnesty Internatonal, the polce nvestgaton was nadequate and superfcal. Representatves of Federal Publc Mnstry nformed the organzaton that they do not accept the federal polce fndngs. In order to contest the clam of the polce nvestgaton, the prosecutor n charge of the case has presented the presdng judge wth a number of testmones of ndgenous people who were present on the day of the march and whch clearly contradct the fndngs of the polce nvestgaton. The federal polce have a perod of 90 days to dsprove the evdence contaned n the testmones. Falng ths they wll have to accept before the judge that the testmones are true.

10 10 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary A serous problem facng both the crmnal and cvl cases s that both the offces of the federal polce and the Federal Prosecutor`s Offce n Baha are serously under-resourced. Ths, coupled wth the apparent hostlty of the authortes to a proper nvestgaton beng carred out, mean that the orgnal 90 day perod s lable to be extended ndefntely by the judge n order to allow the federal polce tme to verfy the testmnony of ndgenous wtnesses, the majorty of whom have now returned to ther communtes n many dfferent parts of the country. Unless the authortes provde the resouces and poltcal support necessary for the crmnal case to proceed, the chances of mountng a successful prosecutons s ever more unlkely. If ths does ocurr, then once agan those responsble for human rghts volatons n Brazl wll beneft from the protecton of an neffectual judcal system whch s ncapable of securng justce n the face of powerful vested nterests, partcularly when the vctms are ndgenous peoples or other groups that suffer dscrmnaton. Exemplfyng the overt manner n whch the Baha state authortes have demonstrated ther support for offcals mplcated n the arbtrary use of volence of 22 Aprl, the offcer n charge of the polce operaton was subsequently promoted n drect recognton for hs part n the polce acton. The fact that the authortes not only faled to suspend offcals under nvestgaton pendng the outcome of the crmnal case, but showed explct support for ther actons, demonstrates all to clearly the dffculty facng the federal prosecutor n mountng a successfully prosecuton of those responsble. The cvl case fled aganst the polce contnues but progress has also been serously hampered by the solaton and lack of resources avalable to the Federal Prosecutor`s Offce n Ilheus. At present ndgenous organzatons nvolved n the Marcha Indígena 2000 are clamng damages of $R6.12 bllon. The ndgenous organzatons that have brought the case calculated that as the cost of the presdental Artcle 2 In the performance of ther duty, law enforcement offcals shall respect and protect human dgnty and mantan and uphold the human rghts of all persons. Artcle 3 Law enforcement offcals may use force only when strctly necessary and to the extent requred for the performance of ther duty. Commentary: (a) Ths provson emphaszes that the use of force by law enforcement offcals should be exceptonal; whle t mples that law enforcement offcals may be authorzed to use force as s reasonably necessary under the crcumstances for the preventon of crme or n effectng or assstng n the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders, no force gong beyond that may be used. Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Offcals Adopted by General Assembly resoluton 34/169 of 17 December 1979 securty operaton for the 22 Aprl was $R1.7 mllon and there were 3600 ndgenous people affected by the polce acton, then they should each have benefted from the same level of securty as the presdent, thus the total compensaton clam of $R6.12 bllon. In order to substantate the clam, statements from all 3600 ndgenous people need to be gathered. However, ths s no small task as the majorty of those who partcpated n the events of Aprl 22 left the state of Baha shortly after and returned to ther communtes n many dfferent states around the country. At present federal prosecutors around the country have been requested to gather testmones from ndgenous peoples who partcpated n the Marcha Indgena Gven the sze of the task and AI Index: AMR 19/29/00 Amnesty Internatonal December 2000

11 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary 11 falure of the authortes to support the efforts of the federal prosecutors offce to move the case forward, t seems lkely that f the present crcumstances contnue the cvl case wll struggle to make progress. In October 2000 ndgenous groups met n Brazla. Dscusson of the cvl case and approaches to movng t forward was one of the ssues dscussed. Conclusons On 22 Aprl 2000, the 500 th annversay of the Portuguese arrval n Brazl, the state mltary polce n Baha reportedly used arbtrary and excessve polce force n order to prevent protestors from the Marcha Indígena 2000 and Outros 500 campagn from reachng Porto Seguro, Baha, where offcal celebratons were takng place. The polce used tear gas, rubber bullets and batton charges to break up two peaceful marches on the same road leavng many njured and detaned. Photographs and wtnesses appear to bear out the clams of those who partcpated n the protest that the polce acton was reportedly unprovoked and brutal. The state and federal authortes, whch had nvested both poltcally and fnancally n the 500 th annversary celebratons, have sought to make poltcal captal from volence by portrayng the vctms as the perpetrators, whle commendng those apparently responsble. The Federal Prosecutor`s Offce, whch has made efforts to prosecute those responsble and secure compensaton for the ndgenous people affected, has been severely hampered by a lack of resources and a clear unwllngness on the part of the federal and state authortes for the case to be pursued wth due dlgence. By takng ths course of acton the authortes have borne out the orgnal clams of the protestors: that the margnalzed and dspossessed, such as ndgenous and black groups, contnue to be dened justce n Brazl. Furthermore, the refusal of the authortes to ensure a comprehensve, transparant and mpartal nvestgaton of the events of 22 Aprl 2000 demonstrate once agan that the judcal system contnues to ensure that justce s not equally avalable to all.

12 12 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary Recommendatons to the federal and state authortes The authortes should mmedately revew the crmnal and cvl judcal proceedngs underway nto allegatons of excessve and arbtrary force used by polce aganst demonstrators on 22 Aprl 2000 n the muncpalty of Santa Cruz Cabrála, Baha state, n order to provde an approprate clmate for a free and far judcal process to take place; The federal prosecutor n charge of the case has stated that the ntal federal polce enqury was superfcal and nadequate, the authortes should therefore mmedately order a new adequately resourced, thorough, mpartal and effectve nvestgaton nto the events of 22 Aprl 2000 n order establsh crmnal responsblty, brng those dentfed to justce and secure adequate compensaton for the vctms; Federal and state authortes should publcly and prvately endorse judcal efforts to establsh responsblty for the volence of 22 Aprl 2000 and should take steps to suspend all offcals mplcated, pendng the outcome of the proceedngs. It s the responsblty of the authortes to ensure that a free and far judcal process can take place n whch the vctms have access to justce and redress; In order to ensure transparency the fndngs of the nvestgaton nto the events of 22 Aprl 2000 should be made publc; The acton of the polce on 22 Aprl 2000 should be judged strctly n accordance wth the standards set out n the Unted Natons Basc Prncples on the Use of Force and Frearms by Law Enforcement Offcals and the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Offcals 3. These nternatonal standards dentfy strct lmts to the use of force by law enforcement offcals; establshng that force can only be used "n proporton to the serousness of the offence and the legtmate objectve to be acheved". The authortes should also ensure that the above mentoned Unted Natons standards are fully ncorporated nto the tranng, procedures and practces of all law enforcement offcals and that steps are taken to establsh the ndependent montorng of polcng methods and practce across the country; Over the last 40 years Amnesty Internatonal has documented systematc human rghts volatons aganst margnalzed sectons of Brazlan socety, such as ndgenous peoples and landless rural workers, ether drectly at the hands of state agents or wth ther connvance or complcty. The organzaton calls on the authortes to respect the rghts of these groups to brng to publc attenton these well documented patterns of abuse and the contnung falure by the authortes to grant them full and far access to justce. 3 Basc Prncples on the Use of Force and Frearms by Law Enforcement Offcals, Adopted by the Eghth Unted Natons Congress on the Preventon of Crme and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana, Cuba, 27 August to 7 September Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Offcals, Adopted by General Assembly resoluton 34/169 of 17 December AI Index: AMR 19/29/00 Amnesty Internatonal December 2000

13 Polce Volence & the 500 th Annversary 13 Amnesty Internatonal s concerned that the falure of the authortes to effectvely and mpartally respond to the volence events of 22 Aprl 2000 may be symptomatc of nsttutonal dscrmnaton n the justce system aganst ndgenous peoples and other mnortes. Amnesty Internatonal, therefore, calls for an ndependent enqury to look nto ths ssue and prepare recommendatons and a plan of acton n order to ensure that all sectors of socety are guaranteed full and and far access to justce.