GENEVA - Twenty years after the "Crimes of May", UN experts* said today that justice and effective remedy remain crucial for victims of pervasive, systemic racism, structural discrimination and violence within Brazilian law enforcement.
The "Crimes of May" occurred in the State of São Paulo between 12 and 21 May 2006. These crimes involved the alleged excessive and lethal use of force by law enforcement officers, resulting in mass executions and enforced disappearances disproportionally impacting people of African descent, particularly young men.
"The majority of victims were unarmed civilians from socioeconomically deprived areas on the periphery of São Paulo, and many were shot at close range," the experts said.
"Despite the severe nature of the mass executions and disappearances, twenty years later, justice and accountability remain elusive," they said. "Families of victims have not received any reparations, including compensation, psychosocial assistance, or access to justice despite consistent signs of summary execution and extrajudicial killings and sustained advocacy led by civil society groups, including the 'Mothers of May'."
The UN experts stressed that the "Crimes of May" must be recognised as serious human rights violations and, thus, not subject to any statute of limitations. "The very small number of convictions to date has deepened impunity and undermined the right to the truth."
Any denial of access to justice based upon a statute of limitations, would not only compound the deep and prolonged suffering of the families of the victims but would also contribute to impunity for systemic racism and racialised violence by Brazilian law enforcement officials, they noted.
Twenty years after the "Crimes of May", people of African descent in the same urban peripheries of Rio de Janeiro, and other Brazilian cities, remain disproportionately targeted by systemic racialised violence perpetrated by law enforcement officials.
"This cycle cannot be allowed to continue. Full access to justice and effective remedies, reliable investigations into unlawful deaths based on international standards, in particular the Minnesota Protocol, for ensuring full accountability, reparations for victims and guarantees of non-repetition, are a vital part of breaking the cycle of violence, and fulfilling international obligations," the experts said.
The UN experts have communicated their concerns to Brazil.
