Amnesty International urges careful probe into Rio killings
Amnesty International Brazil (AIB) issued a statement Thursday (Apr. 24) in which it urges thorough clarification of the deaths in the Pavão-Pavãozinho slum community and full accountability of perpetrators. The organization called the homicide levels in Brazilian slums and city outskirts “alarming”.
Dancer Douglas Rafael da Silva Pereira and another community resident, Edilson Silva dos Santos, were killed last Tuesday (Apr. 22). Douglas's body was found at the back of a nursery hours after his death. Edilson was shot in the head during protests over Douglas's death.
“Our organization expects swift and independent investigations into the circumstances of the two deaths given the suspicions that fall on military police,” AIB said in its statement. Moreover, it urged “the prompt recognition that profound changes are needed in the way the police is organized, including demilitarization, greater transparency, and effective external control of police activities.”
The statement went on to point out that Brazil ranks among the countries with the world's most murderous police forces, and referred to data by the Public Security Institute of Rio de Janeiro that 10,134 deaths were reported resulting from police activity in Rio alone between 2002 and 2011.
Also according to AIB, violence seen in Rio also occurs elsewhere in the country. “Brazil has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with 50,000 killings reported every year. Among young people, this rate is twice as high compared with the adult population. And 78% of young Brazilians killed are blacks.”
Douglas used to work as a dancer on a Globo TV show presented by Regina Casé, who attended his funeral on Thursday afternoon (24). “I'd be no less shocked if it had happened to a stranger,” she said. She tried to comfort Douglas's mother, Maria de Fátima da Silva, a nurse.
After the funeral, Pavão-Pavãozinho locals marched through the streets of Copacabana. On the street that leads to the hillside community, they clashed with military policemen watching the demonstration. Riot police fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Amnesty International urges careful probe into Rio killings
