UN human rights experts on May 29 called [5] on Brazil to ensure full justice, accountability and reparations for victims and families affected by the 2006 "Crimes of May." They warned that continued impunity worsens the suffering of victims and perpetuates systemic racism and police violence. The experts said the killings and enforced disappearances should be recognized as serious human rights.
The violence began after [6] the criminal organization Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC [8]) launched coordinated prison rebellions and attacks on public officials after authorities transferred hundreds of suspected gang members to maximum-security prisons. The attacks included prison riots, shootings, and assaults on police and public facilities. During this period, 59 police and prison officers were killed.
According [7] to human rights organizations and victims' families, police officers and death squads carried out a retaliatory campaign that resulted in more than 500 deaths and at least four enforced disappearances. The victims were disproportionately young Black men from low-income communities, and many had no known connection to the criminal group whose attacks triggered the violence.
The UN statement comes weeks after rights organizations Conectas Direitos Humanos and the Independent Mothers of May Movement submitted an urgent appeal [9] to the UN. The groups alleged that Brazil has failed to adequately address the crimes. They argued that authorities have not guaranteed victims' "rights to memory, truth, reparations and non-repetition." They also reported that many mothers and relatives affected by the violence continue to face illness, poverty and social vulnerability because of the lack of state support and accountability.
The Mothers of May movement was formed [10] by mothers and relatives of those killed during the violence. It emerged after the death of Edson Rogério Silva dos Santos. His mother, Débora Maria da Silva, later became one of the movement’s leading advocates for accountability. For nearly two decades, the group has sought the reopening of investigations and the prosecution of those responsible and recognition of the victims.
The UN experts warned that denying justice on procedural grounds would reinforce impunity for racialized police violence. They noted that people of African descent continue to experience disproportionate levels of police violence in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities.
The experts also linked the anniversary to wider concerns [11] about accountability for violence against marginalized communities in Brazil. Earlier this year, UN experts described the upcoming trial of individuals accused of orchestrating the 2018 murders [12] of Rio de Janeiro city councilor and human rights defender Marielle Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, as a test of Brazil’s ability to confront racism, discrimination, and violence.
From JURIST [13], June 1. Used with permission. Internal links added.
See our last report on Brazil's favela wars [14].
