Future defense minister backs use of snipers against armed criminals

Augusto Heleno argues the move does not mean killing indiscriminately

Published on 31/10/2018 - 19:27 By Paula Laboissière - Brasília

Retired General Augusto Heleno, Jair Bolsonaro’s future minister of defense,  said he supports Rio Governor-Elect Wilson Witzel’s controversial proposal to deploy snipers to hold armed criminals in check. He availed himself of the same “rule of engagement,” he said, in military parlance, while serving in Haiti, and claimed it does not mean killing at will. The statements were made Wednesday (Oct. 31) during an exclusive interview with Rádio Nacional, of the Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC).

“My rule of engagement in Haiti was very similar to the one suggested by the governor. Obviously, a lot of people distort what it is, saying it’s a license to kill. It’s a necessary response to the brazen display of war guns, often in the hands of youths, in Rio de Janeiro,” he said.

General Augusto Heleno
General Augusto Heleno – Collection / Agência Brasil

Heleno said the rifles are usually deployed in actions that result in the deaths of innocent people and police agents involved in clashes, and said that respect for legal forces must be restored. “We will not bring this respect back with the benevolent rules we have today,” he remarked.

“It’s not a license to kill indiscriminately. There must be very well established criteria, and troops need to get solid training. We had this rule in Haiti for over ten years, and there are no reports of indiscriminate executions. It’s a matter of training, and a matter of restoring respect, little by little.”

“To eliminate people who cannot live in a civilized state, we must not cause collateral damage and end up killing innocent lives. There must be a very well consolidated rule of engagement among those expected to make use of it,” he insisted.

The future minister of defense described the Rio de Janeiro police as “perhaps one of the bravest in the world.” On the federal intervention being conducted in Rio, Heleno said that General Braga Neto, spearheading the operations, named commandants he rated as “exemplary.”

“De-politicizing” the police

General Heleno believes the deployment of the Armed Forces should not be overly encouraged in federal interventions—like the one underway in Rio de Janeiro since February this year—just as law-and-order operations should not be trivialized. “The Armed Forces go way beyond the scope of their constitutional missions,” he argued.

In his view, this could be addressed by “de-politicizing” police bodies—including civil, military, federal, and highway law enforcement agencies.

“One thing that can change this landscape is setting the example. Commandants simply have to set the example. We must not just watch as summit members of some police bodies engage in corruption. This can spread really quickly. It’s a crucial correction of conduct. These police agencies need to to be administered some other way.”

Stronger together

The retired general went on to say that the disputes seen during the electoral campaigns must be left behind, and urged people to aim for the reconstruction of the country. Heleno referred to the present scenario as an opportunity to usher Brazilians into a period of “tolerance, conciliation, and the search for the common good.”

“We have a lot of work to do. We have to forget about electoral conflicts. Those must be set aside now. We will work for the reconstruction of this fantastic country—a country that deserves to go a lot further than it already has so far.”

Translation: Fabrício Ferreira -  Edition: Lílian Beraldo / Mariana Branco

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